When Night Falls
by DeadTired
Summary: An ominous wind has fallen and across Japan and the sky has darkened with clouds. What connection does this have with an ancient wolf tribe legend? And why is Miroku having strange headaches? Read and find out! Mainly MirSan, some InuKag
1. Prologue: Darkness Rising

**When Night Falls

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**

Summer is finally here, which means I have time to work on my full-length story! This one is both better worked out and written than my last story (Trivial Matters). Well, this is just the prologue, but I'd expect an update every week, and I'm trying to make all my chapters (excluding this prologue) 1500+ words. I hope that this story goes over better than my last one. This prologue focuss's mainly on Koga, who plays a large part in this story, but this story will me mainly Miroku and Sango. I will include Inuyasha/Kagome also.

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**Prologue**

A slight breeze blew over the cloud-capped mountains and onto the green plains beneath, where it gently played with the long, rich grass. The day seemed peaceful enough for Koga, the young leader of the wolf-demon tribe. It was a cloudy day, not cold or hot, a perfect equilibrium with a refreshing gust of cool air every now and then. Not a ray of sun shone through the thick clouds, but this was the way Koga liked it. It made the color of all the trees and flowers look so much richer, and being a wolf-demon he had learned to enjoy and respect nature.

As he lay sprawled out on his back he took a big sniff of the fresh air. But wait… something wasn't right. Slowly he sat up and looked around. Taking another sniff he tried to identify the foreign scent. No, it wasn't Naraku… nor was it that mutt Inuyasha. Just what the hell was it? As a wolf, Koga relied heavily upon his sense of smell, and when he couldn't identify something it drove him crazy.

Another layer of clouds passed above him, darkening the fields deeply. Something was coming. _Don't let it bother you, Koga_, he mentally told himself, _whatever it is, you can take it on_. He settled a bit upon thinking this. What was there to worry about? After all, he was the esteemed leader of the wolf demons, and he didn't reach that point by being weak.

"Koga!"

"Lord Koga!"

Koga's ears perked upon hearing two familiar voices coming towards him. "Ginta! Hakkakku! Just what the hell are you two doing here?"

"Somethin' ain't right with the wind today, Lord Koga," said Ginta, slowing to a stop in front of him.

"Don't you think I know that?" he spat.

Ginta chuckled nervously, "Of course! You of all demons would know… being who you are, that is. But we also got word from Lady Ayame's tribe in the north that they've been completely enveloped by darkness! They're calling it the 'endless night'."

"Hmm…" Koga looked up at the darkening sky. "Maybe… there's more to this than I thought. Hakkakku, go back and watch over the tribe. If anything happens, just howl. Ginta, come with me."

"Uh, but Lord Koga, where are we going?"

"We're going to pay a little visit to Ayame." With that, Koga took of in a whirl of wind, leaving Ginta to trail behind.

Koga noted the gradual change in darkness as he darted forward across the plains and mountains that make up Japan. Yes, something definitely was not right. He remembered a brief experience a while back where the full moon had shown for many nights in a row (remember, that's in the 2nd movie?), but this did not feel like that. This was ominous to him, that had just been weird. And either way, it had been easier for him to hunt at night.

Taking a long sniff of the air he directed his course more eastward.

* * *

"It looks like it's going to storm," said Kagome, looking upwards. The sky had continuously darkened throughout their last two hours of travel. Miroku muttered something from behind and put his hand to his head.

"Are you all right, Houshi-sama?" asked Sango, who was walking beside him.

"Fine," he muttered, "just a headache."

"Okay… anyway, we should be stopping soon. We don't want to be caught up in a storm."

Kagome nodded, Inuyasha "feh"'d but made no argument against it. Miroku did not answer.

* * *

After another half an hour or so of running, Koga managed to come across Ayame. She was followed by many wolves and was helping an older wolf along the path.

"Oy, Ayame!" he said, coming to a stop.

"Koga!" she grinned.

"Where are you going?"

"The Elder doesn't like the feeling he's getting from this darkness so we're fleeing the north. We've learned to follow what the Elder says… he's not often wrong."

Koga knelt down until he was face to face with the old wolf Ayame had been helping. "What's going on old geezer?" he questioned.

The other wolves seemed taken aback by Koga's rudeness, but the Elder answered, "There is a legend from long ago that has been past down for generations among the wolves of the north. It says that one day, an enormous beast rose out of the western sea, blocking out the sun all over our land. The Lord of the Northern Lands was not happy, for he saw his empire crumbling under the darkness. He waged war on the giant beast. For a century his battle continued. The Northern lord caused great gusts of wind and thunder bolts to light up the sky. The beast caused floods, rain, and tsunamis that destroyed the land. They say that the Northern Lord defeated the beast, and that its blood became the great eastern ocean. But when the Lord returned to his lands, they were completely destroyed by the floods."

"So if the beast was killed, why do you fear it?" asked Koga.

"Because, we have learned to respect the past. Time runs in a cycle, young wolf, of destruction, recreation, and eventually destruction again. I fear that the next great destruction is upon us, but for the time being, I will do everything I can to avoid it."

"I see…"

"For now, you best go back to your tribe. I do not know what the future will bring to them, but it would be best that you are there to lead them."

"Right. Ayame, I'll see you around!" he said as he ran off in the opposite direction he came from.

Ayame sighed and shook her head. He was so brash sometimes…

"Ayame!"

She looked up to se Ginta dashing towards her.

"Ginta?"

"Yeah, hey, have you seen Koga?"

"Uh… yeah, he just left…" she said pointing in the opposite direction.

"Ah… DAMMIT! HEY KOGA! WAIT FOR MEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee……!" He yelled as he ran off Koga as he had so many times before.

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**End Prologue**

Well, please review!


	2. Ch 1: Serpents and Seizures

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, so stop asking me for my autograph dammit!

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Hi everybody! Here I am with the second installment of When Night Falls. I spent four hours over two days writing this, and I ended up with 2164 words or something. Yeehaw! That makes it my longest ever submission! I want to thank MoonyMe and Veglma for their very kind reviews! So here it is, enjoy!

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**Chapter 1  
****Serpents and Seizures**

With Miroku's headache continually worsening, Inuyasha and Co. unfortunately had to pay for an inn that night. Of course, in Miroku's weakened condition he had been unable to stop them from raiding his wallet either. However, much to his gratitude, Sango had stopped Kagome from getting the most expensive room in the place, rather, one non-fancy room large enough to accommodate all of them.

But, luck did not seem to be on their side that night and they had forgotten to account for the fact that they would need an extra bed for Miroku, who would normally sleep sitting up against a wall.

"It's okay; I'll be fine sitting up," he said, smiling as he normally did.

"You should really lie down…" said Kagome.

"Really! I'll be okay, it's just a little headache…"

"Dammit, Houshi-sama, think about yourself for once!" yelled Sango. "Here, you can take my bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Sango, you don't have to…"

Sango simply gave him a death glare and that was the end of that argument right there. Sighing in defeat, Miroku slipped into the bed. He had to admit, it felt good to actually sleep lying down for once. And the futon was fairly comfortable.

"Thank you Sango-sama," he said.

Sango merely waved him off.

* * *

By the time Koga returned to the wolves den, the sky had nearly darkened to the point of night. Walking casually into the cave he was almost immediately encountered by Hakkaku. 

"What you find boss?" he questioned curiously.

"Just a very old wolf out of his goddamn mind," said Koga. "The world ain't gonna end, what a joke."

"Uh… end of the world, boss?" asked Hakkaku nervously.

"Don't worry too much about. Nothing's gonna destroy the world while I'm alive."

Hakkaku nodded, though he still didn't look convinced. As Koga walked past him he spoke up once more. "'ey, Koga? Where's Ginta?"

Koga looked back. "That slowpoke? He's probably ogling some she-wolf somewhere."

* * *

Sango was the first to wake up, as she normally was. Pushing some stray hair behind her ear, she rose noiselessly to her feet. Squinting her eyes slightly she looked around the dark room. Kagome was sleeping soundlessly, Shippo wrapped tightly in her arms. Inuyasha was snoring up against the wall, his arms resting protectively across the Tetsusaiga. 

And then there was Miroku. Sango nearly panicked at how still he was until she noticed he was breathing slightly. When he slept, Miroku was usually very restless. Sango, as a light sleeper, had woken up to his groans before and had looked over to see him struggling against an unknown force, his brow furrowed in either anger or great concentration. But there he was, sleeping as peaceful as she had ever seen him. Something about his face captured her eyes, and for a time unknown to her, she was content just watching his lips moving as he silently breathed in and out. She was dragged back into reality when Kirara mewed at her feet. Instantly feeling her face heat up, she bent down to pick up the demon cat who, once in her arms, snuggled happily into her chest.

"Let's go get some fresh air, what do you say Kirara?" The cat-youkai mewed in response.

Sango yawned as she stepped into the cool night air. There was a slight breeze that played with her hair, causing her to shiver. In her arms, Kirara let put a growl.

"You feel that too, Kirara?" Sango asked. There was something about the air that night. It was an ominous feel… unsettling. It wasn't demonic though, Sango had enough experience to know that. Still shivering she looked towards the sky.

Instantly her breath caught in her chest. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She tried to call to her friends, but all that came out of her mouth was air. Panicking, she ran back into the room.

"Inuyasha, Houshi-sama, Kagome! Wake up!" she screamed, her voice finally finding her again.

Inuyasha quickly jumped to his feet, and instinctively unsheathed his Tetsusaiga.

"Shit! Kagome, do you feel that?" he asked the waking girl. Whatever the force outside was, it was strengthening by the second.

"What is it?" Kagome asked, pure terror in her eyes, not realizing she was practically crushing Shippo in her grasp.

"I- I don't know! It ain't Naraku though!"

A sudden, ear-piercing scream came to their ears as they turned in time to see Miroku fall off the bed. He rolled around on the floor clutching his head tightly with his hands all while screaming his lungs out. Sango caught his eyes for a brief moment to see them practically bugging out of his skull.

"HOUSHI-SAMA!" she screamed. She quickly ran to his side. "Houshi-sama! What is it?"

"It… it hurts!" he stuttered under his pain.

"What's going on Sango?" asked a fear-filled Kagome.

"Outside… the sky!" she yelled, all while trying to comfort Miroku.

"Kagome," said Inuyasha. The school girl nodded and they ran outside.

There were new emotions that surface in Inuyasha the moment he looked upward. For once in his life he was scared out of his mind. "Damn…"

Kagome was staring wide-eyed at the sky, trying desperately to convince herself this was some kind of bad dream. Shippo had instantly burst into tears.

The sky was black with thick, cumulus clouds. And yet the force emulating from it was so great. Lightning would flash in the sky and the clouds would be temporarily translucent. That's when the true terror began. Behind the clouds serpentine figures could be seen stretching and writhing across the vast expanse of the sky.

"Inuyasha, what is that?" stuttered Kagome.

"I-I don't know. But we have to get out of here, NOW!"

Kagome nodded and ran inside to get their stuff. There she found Sango cradling Miroku's unconscious body.

"Sango… what happened?"

Sango was in near tears. "I had to… I had to knock him out… he was in… so much pain…"

Kagome nodded, Miroku would be okay. By no means was he unacquainted with blows over the head by the young taijiya. "Come, we're leaving."

Sango nodded and flung Miroku's body over her shoulder. Cradling Hiraikotsu over her other shoulder she called to Kirara. She ran outside and jumped onto the transformed youkai's back. Kagome rode piggy-back on Inuyasha with Shippo hiding in her bookbag as they took off.

"Where do we go?" asked Sango.

"South! To Kaede's!" answered Kagome as they darted through the forest.

* * *

"Ah! Lord Sesshomaru!" yelled Rin as she grabbed tighter onto her guardian's pants leg. 

"Rin! Don't bother Lord Sesshomaru with your fears!" yelled Jaken, though he himself jumped when lightning darted across the sky.

"Jaken?"

"Ah, yes Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Shut up." Jaken's face flushed, but he kept his mouth shut. "Don't worry Rin," Sesshomaru said in his usual monotone, "as long as you're with me you're safe."

Rin calmed slightly, "I just want this night to end…" she whined.

(Yes, for you Sesshomaru lovers, this story will contain the one, the only, SESSHOMARU! No romance with him though, he doesn't seem the type… sorry. Actually, no I'm not. He's always paired up with Kagome (not right!), Rin, or Inuyasha (Both of which are just disgusting!))

* * *

Inuyasha and Co. were happy to see upon arrival that Kaede's village had not yet fallen prey to the darkness that had covered much of the land to the north. The sky was covered in clouds, but it was nowhere near the point where they completely blocked out the sun. Kaede had welcomed them as she always did, but they noticed she seemed particularly jumpy… 

Sango couldn't help but on occasion glance over to the unconscious body of Miroku that had been laid carefully on the floor of Kaede's hut. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was very worried about the young Houshi. What had caused that fit he had back at the inn? She knew it had something to do with the darkness but…

"How long do you suppose we have 'til the darkness comes?" Inuyasha asked Kagome. He was leaning up against the wall, looking nervously out the window.

"I don't know… I figure maybe a day or two, the feeling is weak here."

"Damn…" cursed Inuyasha, "I didn't see this coming."

Walking up to him, Kagome grasped onto the sleeve of his shirt. "It'll all work out… it always has." Kagome, always the optimist.

"I hope so…" Inuyasha's ears drooped a bit, "I don't like this… I haven't felt like this since I was a pup."

"You're scared?"

"Feh, of course not, I'm just… anxious."

From the look in Kagome's eyes it was obvious she didn't believe him. However, her knowledge of Inuyasha told her not to argue with him. She decided to change the subject.

"What do you suppose caused Miroku's fit at the inn?" She wondered.

"How the hell should I know?"

"I was just asking, you don't need to be so rude." Kagome stole a glance at Sango, who was seated very silently. Deciding to let Inuyasha stew in his own thoughts, she went to talk to the taijuya.

"You think he'll wake up soon?" she asked.

Sango looked up she was pulled out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

"Do you think Miroku will wake up soon?" Kagome repeated.

"I… don't know," Sango answered quietly, "I didn't think I hit him too hard…"

"Are you worried?"

"What? No! Of course not! I mean… a little! But I'm sure he'll be fine…" Sango rambled as a blush graced her face.

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha and Sango… they were both the same. Why couldn't they just come out and say how they were feeling?

* * *

It had been a rough night for Koga and his tribe. Of course, how he knew the night was over was beyond him. The mountains and fields that made up his territory were now nearly completely blackened. Koga himself was tired from staying up all night. In truth, he didn't think any of the wolves had slept. Rubbing his tired eyes, he scanned the scene beneath him from his perch at the peak of the mountain. Perhaps the old geezer had been right? 

_Naw, Koga, don't think like that_, he told himself, _It's just dark, that's all, certainly not the end of the world._

Then, a new scent caught his nose. It was a scent he knew well, however. After rubbing his eyes once more he dashed down the mountain's steep sides.

"Ayame? What are you doing here?" he asked upon coming across the pack of wolves he had only been searching for only half a day before.

Ayame blushed slightly. She seemed a bit nervous. "Well… we figured we're never going to escape this so… we were just wondering… could we stay with you guys for now? At least until this thing is settled."

"Why would you even ask that? You're wolves; of course you can stay with us." Koga retorted.

"Really?" asked Ayame, "Thank you!" She lunged forward to capture Koga in a hug, but one look at his face and she decided against it. Blushing, she returned to her tribe. "Thanks," she repeated, a little less exuberantly.

"No problem," Koga gave a toothy grin before leading them to the dens.

* * *

It was well past noon when Miroku finally woke up. 

"Ow…" he moaned as he sat up and ran his fingers over the large bump on his head.

"Ah! Miroku, you're awake!"

Miroku's eyes scanned the room to see Kagome smiling happily at him.

"How… long was I out?" he asked.

"Twelve hours at least," said Kagome, as she brought him one of her bottles of water.

"That long?"

"Yeah. Miroku… do you remember anything that happened last night?"

Miroku took a swig of water before speaking. "I remember… immense pain. And then… there was someone there. 'It'll be allright'… they kept saying that. Then… something hit me… that's all."

"Miroku, this is important. When you woke up, did you… sense anything?"

Miroku gave a small nod. "How did you know?"

Kagome ignored his question and continued her own interrogating. "What did you feel Miroku?"

"It… wasn't like anything I've ever felt before. It wasn't demonic either… but it was over-powering. It felt like there was something in my head, trying to force its way out. I felt like my skull was going to explode… every orifice of my body was filled with immense pressure and… whatever it was… it was evil. More evil than Naraku. I… I thought I was going to die…"

That was when Sango walked into the room.

"Houshi-sama! You're awake!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the seated monk. "How are you? Is your heads okay?"

"It's fine… fine." He repeated for the still fussing Sango. "The only thing that hurts is this bump right here…"

"Sorry…" said Sango, blushing.

"Why?"

"Well, it's just… you were in so much pain I… I hit you over the head with Hiraikotsu."

Miroku just stared for a minute before laughing slightly.

"What's so funny?" asked Sango with her anger rising.

"Nothing, it's just funny to think about. Thank you, though."

Sango was now blushing again. "It was nothing really."

Miroku began chuckling again before Inuyasha barged into the room.

"Now's no time for jokes," he said sternly.

Outside, the sky darkened.

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**End Chapter 1**

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Ooooo... my first cliffy... Yay!

Please review to keep my confidence in this story up!


	3. Ch 2: The Necklace, The Prophecy

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha 'cause I'm poor.

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Here it is! Chapter 2 of When Night Falls! I loves you alls who've given me such kind reviews!

Veglma: Yeah! You were right about the headache thing! Have a cookie!

Moonyme: Really? That sucks, did you ever get the other part to upload?

Silver Mirror: Cliff hangers are evil! Mwahahahahaha! You'll love this chapter then...

PurrJaede: Yeah, those pairings are disgusting, ain't they? Oh, and don't worry about Ayame being in this story, she doesn't play too big of a part.

Medlii: Ominous? Aw no, that is SO not what I was going for! Haha, just kidding.

xxxroxyxxx: Yep, you boosted my confidence all right. Thanks much!

I loves yous alls!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

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**Chapter 2: The Necklace, The Prophecy**

Koga stood alone in the middle of the field, scanning its dark expanse carefully for any sign of movement. Because of this damn darkness all the animals had been fleeing south, leaving next to nothing for him and his pack to eat. After a little while he found what he was looking for. He watched carefully as the grass parted itself in the path of some sort of animal. It wasn't a smooth part, it came more in pulses. One area of grass would part, there would be a pause, and then the area in front of it would part as the space behind it closed up. Judging also by the size of the part, Koga came to the conclusion that it was probably a large rabbit. He was right. It wasn't long before his target came across a small clearing in the grass and Koga got a good look at it. Not enough for a meal, but certainly it would make a tasty snack. And he was hungry. Crouching down below the grass level, he slowly made his way towards the unsuspecting animal. As he got closer he noticed the rabbit freeze in its grazing.

_Don't worry,_ he mentally said, _there's nothing here, it was just the wind…_

Never the less, as he came closer the rabbit's eyes locked with his. They simply remained like that for a long time… just staring, waiting for the other to make the first move. Then the rabbit darted.

"Shit!" swore Koga, jumping to his feet.

Tearing off through the tall grass, Koga chased the rabbit down. Closing in, he got ready to pounce on the helpless creature. At the last minute, however, the rabbit shot to the right. Koga shifted his feet, but at his accelerated speed his legs slipped out from under him. As he fell forward, he franticly tried to get a hand on the terrified animal. At the last moment he managed to just barely dig his claws into the rabbit's hindquarters. Under the impact the animal's powerful hind legs instantly gave out and Koga managed to reel it in. Holding his struggling prey in two hands, Koga brought its neck to his mouth and bit down, crushing its vertebrae, killing it instantly. Koga took a moment to savor the feel of the warm blood pooling around his teeth before hungrily tearing at the delicate flesh of the rabbit.

* * *

Back at Kaede's, Inuyasha and Co. nervously debated what they would do next.

"Dammit Kagome, I thought you said we had at least a day," spat Inuyasha, "It hasn't even been half that."

"That was based of what information I had," Kagome argued back, "I have no idea how fast this thing is growing, for all I know it could even be growing faster as time passes."

"Feh," Inuyasha sighed, "So what do we do now?"

"We can't keep running from this thing," spoke up Sango.

"Hai," Kagome nodded, "Besides, we can't leave Kaede alone not knowing what will happen."

"Perhaps," muttered Miroku, who had begun to feel the effects of another headache, "we can visit Mushin. When he's not _too_ drunk, he's actually quite knowledgeable. He might know something about this. Perhaps he can stop this headache of mine too…"

"So it's settled, eh?" asked Inuyasha, "To Mushin's?"

Sango shook her head. "No. It would probably be best if you, Kagome, and Shippo stayed back here and protected the village. I'll escort Houshi-sama to Mushin-sama on Kirara."

"That's probably for the best…" said Kagome, "What do you say Inuyasha?"

"Whatever," he grumbled, "makes my life easier."

"Well, that settles it," Sango stood up. "Let's go Houshi-sama."

"You're leaving already?" asked Kagome.

"Every moment that passes, the aura of the world gets more evil out there," Miroku said sternly, feeling more energy coursing through him by the second. "The sooner we leave the better. And it doesn't help much that Mushin's temple is to the north."

"Right," agreed Sango. Grabbing her Hiraikotsu, she called to Kirara who ran outside and transformed into her large demon form. She and Miroku climbed onto the Neko-youkai's back and, with one last wave back to Kagome, took off.

"I hope they'll be okay," said Kagome.

"They'll be fine, they're strong," yawned Inuyasha. "For humans, that is."

A cold breeze blew by, causing Kagome to shiver.

"I really hope so…"

* * *

Mushin's temple was dark. Not quite as dark as a moonless night, but dark enough that you could walk face-first into a tree if you didn't pay too much attention. (I'm writing this from personal experience.)

Kirara landed smoothly on the grass and, as soon as Miroku and Sango had gotten off of her, transformed back into her more compact form. Sango scolded herself as a blush crept across her cheeks when she wrapped Miroku's arm around her neck and one of her own around his waist in order to escort the disoriented monk into the temple.

"Mushin-sama!" yelled Sango as she entered the main room of the temple.

An old (and apparently drunk, judging by his expression) monk stumbled into the room.

"Ah… you're that ah… Taijiya that travels with Miroku! Now what is your name again?"

"Sango."

"No, I don't think that's it… ah well. What is it you have come to see me about?"

"Well it's about Miroku here…"

"Oh, you got married," said the drunken Monk.

"Huh?" Sango blushed deeply, "No! What makes you think that!"

"Simply the way you are holding him my dear…" he was cut off as somebody hitting him over the head.

It took Sango a minute to notice she was no longer holding up Miroku, and that he was standing wearily over the old monk, fist raised.

"No listen to me you drunken bastard," he growled, "I have a headache and I need it to go away, so come to your damn senses!"

Much to Sango's surprise, Mushin began laughing (despite the large bump on his head).

Moments later, Mushin came out from a back room, carrying what appeared to be a necklace in his hands.

"Here," he mumbled, "put this on."

Miroku did so and immediately color returned to is cheeks. "It's… it's gone!" he said, with a surprised tone.

"Of course it is!" said Mushin, "You're headache was caused by an overload of spiritual power. Because you are trained as a monk, your spiritual sense is much more powerful than most people's. This darkness, whatever it is, has so much power your mind simply could not handle it. That necklace is weakening its effect on you."

"But that doesn't make sense!" spoke up Sango, "If it's so powerful, why doesn't it have that effect on you? It doesn't even have any effect on Kagome-chan, and she has all the spiritual powers of Kikyo!"

"That confuses me also…" mumbled Mushin, "Of course there's not much that doesn't… but either way, it's likely that Miroku has some strong connection to this event somehow. What that connection is, however, I do not know."

"Can you at least tell us what this event is?" asked Miroku.

"Oh, this? The end of the world as we know it," Mushin said casually.

"THE END OF THE WORLD?" Miroku and Sango exclaimed together.

"Yep."

"And… and how do you know this?"

"There is a wolf tribe legend of a beast that blocked out the sun with clouds. The Lord of the Northern Lands fought it. Here's where there are to versions of the story. The wolves will tell you that the beast was killed by the Lord. But this is because the wolves worship the Northern Lord. If you were to ask anyone else who knows the story they will tell you the Lord of the Northern lands lost the battle, but managed to seal the beast in the great northern mountains before fading to dust. However, it is written that 'when the world is covered in clouds once more, and great dragons dance across the sky, the beast of lore will awaken and bring destruction to the world'."

Sango shuddered, remembering the night at the inn.

"So you're saying that this is what's happening?" asked Miroku.

"I can think of no other explanation."

"And just what, exactly, does this have to do with me?" Miroku questioned.

"I already said that I do not know, I would suppose that is for you to find out by yourself," he answered.

The room was silent for a long time. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Sango spoke up.

"Is there anything we can do to stop this?"

"The only thing I can think of," answered Miroku, "Is to travel to the northern land and kill this thing ourselves."

"Are you insane? The Lord of the Northern Lands himself could defeat the beast, never mind you and your little friends," Mushin retorted.

Miroku stood up and turned his back to leave. "We have to try. I mean what have we got to lose?" He gestured to Sango, who stood up to follow him. They walked outside and climbed onto Kirara's back."

"A word of warning, Miroku," said Mushin as he followed them outside, "that necklace I gave you, it works by severely dropping your spiritual awareness! As long as it's on you your sixth sense will not be nearly as strong!"

From Kirara's back Miroku nodded. "Thanks."

With that Kirara took off into the sky and shot southward.

"Stupid boy doesn't know what he's getting himself into," Mushin muttered as he went inside to light some candles.

* * *

Inuyasha waited impatiently for the return of Miroku and Sango. Outside, the clouds were now as dark as in the worst storm he'd ever seen, and he knew it would only continue to get darker. Tapping his foot in the air, he leaned back against the tree he sat on sighed. Then, something made him sit up again suddenly. Fear sparkled in his golden eyes before he pushed it back into the depths of his mind.

"Kagome! Get out here!" he yelled, jumping down from his tree branch.

Kagome ran out of Kaede's hut. "Inuyasha! What is it?"

"Demons, lots of 'em." He pointed towards the forest as over the horizon rose thousands of black forms, dotting the cloudy sky.

* * *

**End Chapter 2

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**

Ooo... I am evil, ain't I?

Please Review!


	4. Ch3: Trapped!

**When Night Falls

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**

Disclaimer: Why don't I own Inuyasha? 'Cause I'm an Idiot.

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Here it is! Chapter 3! Oh, wait a minute! I got reviews! Sweet!

Moonyme: Here's your update! Aww… this fic is lovely? Bless ye.

Veglma: I'm glad you enjoyed your cookie! The band that did that song is R.E.M.

Medlii: I rock? Sweet! (headbangs)

Silver Mirror: Thank you! Yeah, I tried to make Mushin funny and I guess I succeeded! Yay!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Trapped!**

Kirara darted southward through the sky, carrying her two passengers to Kaede's village.

"How much do you think your spiritual powers have been depleted?" Sango asked Miroku, behind.

"I can feel that it's quite a lot. I used to be able to pick out individual demons… I can't now. My kazaana still works though… I can feel it tugging at my palm, strong as ever."

It was obviously meant to be positive, but the way it came out was negative. Of course, how could anyone speak positively of _that_?

Sango turned grim at mention of the cause of Miroku's eventual downfall. It was something that she constantly tried to keep back in the deepest corners of her mind, and when it was brought up it painfully brought with it all the things the Kazaana was capable of. She knew very well that there might not be a lot of time left on the world for him, but it was her job as his friend to do everything she could to rid him of that curse. Of course, tings were looking grim. They had no idea where Naraku was hiding, and Miroku was already beginning to show signs of the Kazaana's growth… (remember the whole Mushin-incident… uh… thingie? You know what I'm talking about.)

"Sango?" Sango was yanked out her thoughts by Miroku calling her name.

"Hmm? Houshi-sama, what is it?" she asked.

"Well, it's just you got real silent there, may I question as to why?"

"Oh, it was nothing… nothing at all."

* * *

"What are we going to do?" wondered Kagome, eyeing the fast approaching cloud of demons.

"Maybe they'll pass right over us," said Inuyasha, "It doesn't look like they're here to attack us. They're probably weaker demons fleeing to the south."

"But don't forget," responded Kagome, reaching for the string around her neck, "the shards of the sacred jewel. As soon as they sense those they're sure to come after us."

"Shit," swore Inuyasha. He drew the Tetsusaiga. "Guess we'll just have to fight them then…"

"NO!" Kagome yelled, "Not here, we can't put the village in danger!"

"Well what do you suppose we do then?" he retorted.

"We draw them away from here!"

"Fine," huffed Inuyasha, re-sheathing his Tetsusaiga. Kagome hitched her usual ride on his back and they quickly headed towards the outskirts of the village. The demons were getting close now. With one final burst of speed Inuyasha brought him and Kagome to the only uninhabited clearing for miles, the bone-eaters well.

It was just as Inuyasha planted his feet that the blanket of demons passed overhead. The wind they generated as they shot past overhead whipped at Kagome's clothes. There were so many demons… it was impossible to see the clouds overhead. And then… they stopped. The immense hoard of demons hovered above them and everything was silent for the longest time. Then, like a gigantic funnel cloud the demons collapsed around them. In the blink of an eye they had gone from complete silence to being trapped within a whirling vortex of demons. Kagome felt teeth and claws tear at her clothes and flesh as a renegade demon would decide to break off from the swirling mass and take its chances at the jewel shard.

"WIND SCAR!" The five blades of light from the Tetsusaiga darted through the air and literally obliterated a large group of demons.

Kagome shot an arrow that ripped through the wall of demons, leaving a window into the outside world until it was once more filled up with demons. There where so many, hitting them was like jumping into the ocean and trying to hit water. Inuyasha was firing off the Wind Scar now as if he were and enraged, trigger-happy redneck with a twelve-gauge (sorry, couldn't help myself). Kagome was using up arrows as quick as she could fire them, and yet there was no noticeable damage done to the tornado of youkai. The demons were becoming more aggressive in their attack now, more were breaking off from their pattern and entering the eyes of the funnel to attack Inuyasha and Kagome. Slowly, the walls of the swirling mass began to close in on them. Kagome reached into her quiver and gasped.

"Inuyasha! I have no arrows left!" she yelled.

"Damn!" Inuyasha swore as he released another volley of Wind Scar's. But with the vortex of demons closing in around them he was quickly running out of elbow room.

"How are we gonna get out of this one?" asked Kagome.

"Give me a moment," grunted Inuyasha, who had now been reduced to swiping at the demons with his claws.

Kagome and Inuyasha were trapped back to back now.

"Inuyasha… there's something I need to tell you," she said desperately.

"Can't it wait?" he grumbled, splitting another demon with his claws.

"No, Inuyasha, I need to tell you that I lo-"

"HIRAIKOTSU!" Suddenly a gigantic mass of demons were annihilated. Kagome felt a jerk on her arm and then she and Inuyasha were being dragged through the wall of demons. The youkai were so stunned that they didn't even try to hurt her. Then, she was being pulled up and away from the cyclone of enemies. She looked up to see Sango holding onto her arm as she was carried through the air on Kirara.

"SANGO!" Kagome yelled happily. The taijiya smiled down at her and lifted the miko onto Kirara's back in between her and Miroku, who was holding onto Inuyasha. "Thanks Sango!"

"No problem! And at least now the pervert houshi can't grope me!" Sango spat the last sentence. Kagome turned to see that Miroku had a red mark on his cheek. She sighed.

"I hate to break up this happy reunion, but you can't very well leave me dangling here!" yelled Inuyasha from below.

"But there's no room!" Kagome yelled back.

"Don't worry! Houshi-sama will be getting off!" said Sango.

"What?" exclaimed Kagome.

Miroku pulled up Inuyasha onto the little amount of space behind him. "Hold onto Kagome's arm!" he said. Inuyasha did as he was told (for once). Sango then reached back her own hand, which Miroku took. She pulled him forward until he slipped off Kirara and was hanging in mid-air. Sango gritted her teeth at his weight but held tight. Inuyasha scooted forward on Kirara's back.

"What are you planning?" squeaked a nervous Kagome.

"Hold on tight," was all that Sango said in response.

Suddenly, Kirara was flying straight up through the air. Her hold on Sango was the only thing that kept Kagome from falling to her death. She felt Inuyasha holding onto her just as tight. Looking to her side, she saw Miroku hanging downwards right next to her. He gave her a quick toothy smile before looking downward again. Kagome turned her head to see what he was looking at. There was now a large cone of demons shooting upward at them, and it was gaining. Fast.

"NOW SANGO!" Miroku yelled upwards. The taijiya nodded, and then she let go.

Miroku was in a free-fall now. The wind whipped at his robes as he fell towards the cone of demons shooting towards him. He stuck his right hand towards the ground.

"KAZAANA!" Opening the glove that covered his hand, the great wind of his deadly curse began to suck everything in its path. As he fell towards the demons they came within range of his Kazaana and were sucked into its abyss. More and more demons were pulled inwards as he continued falling. Then, just as the last of the youkai were whisked away, something that Miroku hadn't planned for happened. The winds of the Kazaana grasped hold of the ground, and suddenly he accelerating towards the hard surface. Quickly he covered up his Kazaana, but his speed did no decrease. _Hurry up Sango…_ he thought. The ground came closer and closer. This was it… Sango hadn't been able to make it in time.

Just as he came within five feet from the ground there was a sudden, incredibly painful yank at his arm. He looked up to see Inuyasha holding onto his wrist from the back of Kirara. So Sango had made it after all…

His feet touched the ground gently and he promptly fell to his knees and vomited.

"Are you okay Houshi-sama?" asked Sango, running up to him.

"Fine…" he wheezed, "I think that Inuyasha might have dislocated my shoulder though…"

"That can be fixed…" Sango said. She placed one hand on his shoulder and held his arm in her other. "This'll hurt a little bit," she warned, "When I count to three I'll pop back into place, ready?"

"Yeah," Miroku responded.

"Alright, one…" Sango yanked at his arm. Miroku let out a scream of agony before turning towards her.

"I thought you were gonna count to three!" he shouted, sweat gracing his flushed face.

"If I had pulled at three you would have tensed," answered Sango, "and we don't want that."

"Still…"

"Houshi-sama, stop whining! Your arm is better now, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," he answered, rotating it experimentally.

Inuyasha was watching the whole scene with an amused expression on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Kagome.

"Hmm? Nothing, it's just fun to watch that bouzu whine," he answered. Then he remembered something. "Hey Kagome, so what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"

A blush crept across Kagome's cheeks as she recalled the thoughts that had ran through her head earlier. "It was nothing important really."

Inuyasha grunted, "Whatever, it's not like I was too interested anyway."

"Hey guys!" yelled Sango as she ran up to them, "where's Shippo?"

"Huh? Oh! I completely forgot about him!" squeaked Kagome (a/n: Don't we all…), "He's back at Kaede's. Speaking of which, we should be heading back."

"Right," the others answered in agreement.

* * *

Koga had long since returned to his usual duty of watching over his territory. Except for the darkness, everything _seemed_ normal enough. That was, of course, until the ground shook violently at his feet.

"Probably just an earthquake," he told himself. But another shook they ground, and another, and many more to follow. Eventually, Koga admitted to himself that something was most definitely NOT right. Taking a sniff of the air, he caught a scent foreign to him. Unlike the one he had smelled a day ago, this was most definitely demonic. Following his nose he came to the place where the scent originated. "What the hell?" he questioned, "there's nothing here…"

Then the ground at his feet began to crumble.

"Oh _shit._"

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**End Chapter 3**

Oooo… ominous, and another cliffy! Yay! Review please!


	5. Ch 4: A Frightful Night, Pt 1

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: how many times do I have to tell you people, I don't own Inuyasha!

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Finally, I bring you chapter 4! I would expect chapter 5 in a week or so, but in the meantime, enjoy this! These next two chapters will focus largely on the relationship between Miroku and Sango. 

JWink: Ah, thank you!

Sangonesan: I know, there are those moments where I write a whole scene, then I'm like, "Crap! I forgot Shippo!"

YamiTai: Was this fast enough? I hope so…

Xxxroxyxxx: Cliffies… eh heh…

Unwired mascot: I like your father already! AS far as the characterization thing goes, yes, Ginta and Hakkaku have a more primitive style of speaking, however they are not stupid. They just kinda seem that way. Other than that, there has not been a great opportunity to reflect those attributes, and, if your basing that off anime, a lot of that is based off of the way they speak, not the words they use. This is, of course, difficult to duplicate in a story format. And yes, Miroku's way of speaking is generally more formal, but it tends to be not so much when he is talking to his companions. His formality is generally used when he is hitting on Sango or some other girl, or when he is attempting to weasel his way into or out of something. I definitely agree on the larger lexicon, I've heard (rather, read) Miroku use words I don't understand. And yes, the English dub anime is rather unreliable. I also agree that there aren't enough Miroku/Sango moments.

Veglma: Who's Hime? Glad you liked it!

Medlii: That's why I write cliffies! Finally! Someone understands! But y'know, it also keeps me interested in writing this too.

Silver Mirror: Thanks!

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**Ch. 4: A Frightful Night, Pt. 1**

By noon of the next day, Inuyasha and Co. had left Kaede's for a more northward goal. Inuyasha and Kagome's reaction to Miroku's less-than-wonderful news had been oddly calm, however. Of course, Shippo had gone into his usual fit of intense fear and rambling, though that had been effectively cured by a swift whack over the head, courtesy of our beloved hanyou. After the fluff-ball that was Shippo had been silenced (and a few "osuwari's" compliment of Kagome), Inuyasha and Kagome had both agreed that the best solution would be to face this thing head-on, as there really weren't any other options to the matter.

So here they were, walking stupidly into immense danger as the skies above them became darker with every step they made. Kagome had reached into her impossibly large book bag and pulled out something she called a "watch", which she said would enable them to tell time in the darkness by pressing a little button on the side which caused the main portion to glow an ominous green. Miroku seemed very wary of everything that surrounded them, his eyes shifting from side to side and his shakujou clutched firmly in his left hand.

"What's wrong, Houshi-sama?" asked Sango, noticing this.

"Nothing, I just have to get used to my sixth sense being this weak," he responded, "I feel very vulnerable this way…"

"Don't worry!" said Kagome from in front of them, "We'll make sure that nothing hurts you so long as we're here!"

"Right," Sango confirmed.

Miroku chuckled. "I wasn't really worried about that," he said, "I'm just not accustomed to this. But, thanks."

* * *

Ayame shuffled nervously through the cave that Koga had showed her to. Where was he anyway? She had been looking for him earlier, but had been unable to locate him. She couldn't even catch any hint of his smell. She heard a rustling at the cave entrance and turned to see the dark silhouettes of to wolf demons walking towards her. 

"Lady Ayame, have you seen Koga?" The voice was Ginta's. Ayame figured the other must be Hakkaku.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I was just looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere."

"I don't like this…" said Hakkaku, "We can't smell him at all, and Koga wouldn't go _too_ far away without letting someone know."

Ayame nodded, "Something is definitely weird. We should go look for him, he could be in trouble."

"Right," nodded the two wolves as they followed Ayame out of the cave.

* * *

It had been a long time since Inuyasha and Co. had left Kaede's. The trip so far had been almost disappointingly uneventful. All of them (except for, perhaps, Inuyasha) were beginning to feel wary from walking. Checking her watch, Kagome discovered it was nearly eight o'clock. 

"We should be finding someplace to rest," she said. It wouldn't be long until it was impossible to see anything at all.

Miroku and Sango nodded, both visibly tired. Inuyasha did not answer, perhaps for fear of what came out of his mouth would result in him eating more dirt than he liked to consume on a daily basis. Either way, they stopped at the next town that they came across.

"Let's try to find an Inn," said Kagome.

Walking through the village, they noticed something was not quite right. It was empty. It appeared that humans were now fleeing southward also. They came across an inn and, just like the rest of the town, it was abandoned.

"I guess we get to sleep for free tonight," remarked Sango.

"You think we should take separate rooms for once?" asked Kagome.

"No," Miroku spoke up. His answer received a glare from Sango. "Let me explain!" he gave a nervous laugh and held his hands up defensively. "We'd be best to use one room, because if anything happens the others will know about it. It's safer that way."

Sango's glare faded from her face and she consented. Inuyasha found a large room which they all entered, throwing their supplies carelessly into the corner.

"So tired…" groaned Kagome as she flopped down on one of the four futons in the room. Shippo bounded onto the bed and snuggled up to the schoolgirl, who wrapped her arms around the kitsune. (a/n: Who here would like to hug Shippo? I would! And I'm a guy, that's just how cute he is.)

Sango and Miroku also each took their own futon, but Inuyasha refused to sleep in one, and instead propped himself up against a wall.

"G'night," said Kagome.

"'Night," yawned Miroku, Shippo, and Sango's voices in response.

And with that, they all drifted quietly off into peaceful slumber.

But, alas, as is the ways of life (and of this author) the peaceful moments are always cut short. For the second night in a row, Inuyasha and Co. were awakened from sleep, but this time it was not Sango's screaming, but by a steady shaking of the very earth that they slept on.

"Ugh, what was that?" moaned a sleepy Kagome.

"Just an earthquake," grunted Inuyasha.

As he said that, however, the ground shook once more, this time shaking the Houshi and the Taijiya from their dreams.

Sango groaned, "An earthquake?"

"Felt like it," Miroku answered. He looked around the room. It was so dark; he could just barely see the glow of Kagome's watch as she checked it, but nothing else. Staggering to his feet he searched blindly for a lamp of candle.

"That was the second one," said Kagome to Sango.

"Was it just the aftershock?"

"No, it was just as big as the first."

"That's odd,"

Just then light flooded the room and they turned to see Miroku standing over an oil lamp, a box of Kagome's matches clutched in his hand.

"Figured we could use some light," he said.

Unfortunately, it didn't help much that another earthquake shook, knocking the lamp to the floor. The oil spread over the dirt surface, and went up in a great flame before dying down into nothingness.

"Okay…" mumbled Miroku, just glad he hadn't been caught in the flames.

"These earthquakes are really beginning to worry me…" said Sango.

Kagome was busy fumbling blindly through her book bag. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled out two flashlights. She lit one and the others turned to the source of light.

"What is that?" asked Miroku.

"It's a flashlight. You push this little button and light comes out, it works kinda like my watch," Kagome explained.

At that moment Inuyasha suddenly shot up from his seat against the wall, just as another earthquake shook the earth.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.

"I smell a demon," he growled, "and it's coming, fast."

As if some alarm went off Kagome retrieved her arrows, Miroku his shakujou, and Sango stripped off her outer robes to reveal her Taijiya outfit, before slinging Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. Kirara readied herself by her master's feet, and Shippo took his usual perch on Kagome's shoulder.

"How close is it?" asked Kagome in little more then a whisper.

"Really close," Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga.

The ground under their feet began to steadily shake. Trees outside the window toppled under some unknown force.

"It's here," Inuyasha hissed.

And then the rumbling stopped. Everyone looked around confusedly.

_Damn, _Miroku thought, _I wish I could sense this thing..._

"Where'd it go?" asked Shippo curiously.

As if on cue, the ground at their feet erupted. Kagome screamed and the flashlight flew out of her hand. Inuyasha dashed protectively in front of her. And yet, whatever it had been was no longer in the room.

"Where is it?" squeeked Kagome.

"Close," muttered Inuyasha, "I can smell it. But it ain't here."

"Will it come back…?"

"I dunno."

"We'd best go and search for it," Miroku spoke up, "If not, this thing could cause us some trouble.

"Yes, we'd don't know when it could come back," Sango agreed. Miroku noticed she didn't look up. She kept her eyes glued to the floor.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"K-Kirara's gone…" she mumbled.

"What?"

"Whatever the hell that thing was, it took Kirara."

Miroku looked concernedly at the young Taijiya.

"Well, we have to find her," said Kagome.

"Agreed," Miroku nodded, "Don't worry Sango, Kirara's tough, we'll find her."

Sango just nodded.

"Allright," said Kagome as she picked up the fumbled flashlights, "We should go in pairs, for safety. Here," she approached, handing Miroku and Sango each a flashlight, "Take these." Kagome didn't even have to ask to know that Miroku and Sango would pair up.

"But what about you?" asked Miroku, eyeing his flashlight suspiciously.

"We have Shippo," she answered, smiling at the kitsune on her shoulder, "his fox fire will light the way."

"You got it Kagome!" chirped the fox youkai. With a snap of his fingers he created a small bluish-green flame that burned brightly.

"Let's go already," Inuyasha said.

"Allright," said Kagome, and the two groups went their separate ways.

* * *

Miroku swung his flashlight over the southern side of the inn. 

"How could something like that just disappear?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Sango answered, "but I don't like it."

"Me neither. Damn, I wish I could sense it!"

"Miroku, I don't think there's a need to."

"What do you mean?"

His eyes went to the point where Sango's flashlight was pointed. There was something large and gray hidden amongst the bushes, its eyes reflecting the light menacingly. Suddenly, the beast charged from the bushes, directly at Sango. She was only saved when Miroku rammed his shoulder into her and they fell out of its path. It skidded to a halt about twenty feet away from them. Lifting his flashlight, Miroku got a good look at the demon. It looked somewhat canine, though its head was somewhat serpent like. Sprouting from its shoulder blades were four, long tentacle-like appendages.

He and Sango clumsily rose to their feet. Sango readied to throw the Hiraikotsu.

"Don't kill it," whispered Miroku.

"Why not?" Sango hissed.

"If you do, we'll never find out what it did with Kirara."

Sango paused, and reluctantly tossed the Hiraikotsu aside. At this sudden motion, the beast let out a roar and charged again. Miroku plucked an ofuda from his robe and threw it, but it fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

"Oh _fuck_," he muttered. _Damn powers!_ "Sango, run!"

Sango nodded and swept up the Hiraikotsu as they darted out of the demon's way.

"Where do we go?" she asked.

"Inside! It won't be able to charge so well in a confined space!"

The dashed into the inn and Miroku shut the door behind them.

"Why the hell are you shutting doors? We want it to find us!"

"When it rips the paper we'll hear it coming and won't be completely unprepared!"

They ran into one of the smaller rooms and Miroku shut that door also.

"Now we wait."

Miroku closed his eyes and listened carefully. It was quiet, but he heard the first door of paper rip as the demon went through it. It was then that he noticed Sango was clutching tightly onto the fabric of his robes.

"Scared, eh?" he chuckled.

"What? No!" exclaimed Sango, promptly realizing the position of her hands and removing them.

A long time passed and they didn't hear another sound.

"Damn, where is it!" whispered Miroku.

"Maybe it left…"

Then, as it had earlier, the ground on the other side of the room erupted. Miroku felt a long, slender object wrap around his leg, and with a yank he was being pulled towards the hole in the ground from the eruption.

"Gah! Sango!" he yelled. The flashlight tumbled from his hand and spun until it was facing the hole, illuminating the tentacle that held Miroku.

Jumping forward, Sango grasped his hand. "Houshi-sama!" She couldn't hold on much longer. His fingers began to slip from hers.

"Sango…"

"Dammit, don't let go Houshi-sama!"

But it was too late. With a great tug, Miroku was yanked from Sango's grasp. He clawed desperately at the ground, but to no avail. In the blink of an eye he was gone.

"HOUSHI-SAMA!"

* * *

**End Chapter 4.**

Oh no! What's going to happen to Miroku?

Review and find out!


	6. Ch 5: A Frightful Night, Pt 2

**Chapter 5: A Frightful Night, Pt. 2**

Disclaimer: Own Inuyasha? Sure, in my dreams.

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Sorry this one took a while dudes, I had some serious writers block, and a loophole that I had to fill in properly. I think there are some parts in this chapter poorly written, but I've thought that before and no one seemed to notice so…

Reviews:

Ninalee-chan: I guess you'll just have to read and find out eh? I ain't sayin' nothin'.

Silver-mirror: Well, here it is! Now you'll find out what's happening.

Veglma: Oh I see. And Miroku can fight, but not with anything that involves use of his spiritual powers.

YamiTai: Oh god no! Don't do that! Here's your update, now whatever you do, do not pair Miroku-sama with Kanna! Heehee, hostage situation-ish.

Moonyme: Thank you so much, my confidence just broke the ceiling!

Medlii: Yes, I do love me cliff-hangers!

Thanks for such kind reviews! I loves you alls!

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Frightful Night, Pt. 2**

Miroku moaned lightly as he woke up.

"Where am I?" he asked absentmindedly.

"Damned if I know," came a voice from the corner. Miroku got the feeling that he knew that voice from somewhere… "You smell like Inuyasha," the voice spoke up, "are you he monk that travels with him?"

"Yes actually," answered Miroku, standing up, "and who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?"

"No…"

"Humans… no sense at all," the voice muttered, "It's Koga."

"Koga? What are you doing down here?"

"Some damn demon dragged me down. Now I'm just trying to find my way out."

Miroku nodded, forgetting that Koga would be unable to see it. He suddenly became aware of something rubbing against his foot. He nearly panicked until it let out a high, unmistakable chirp.

"Kirara?" he asked, bending down to pick up the small creature. Kirara chirped again in response. "Thank kami you're safe, Sango's worried as hell about you."

"Yer lucky," said Koga.

"Why?" asked Miroku.

"I nearly had that thing for a snack."

Miroku gulped. He decided to change the subject. "Why do you suppose the demon brought us here?"

"What d'ya mean?" asked Koga.

"What I mean is why did it not kill us or eat us on the spot? It must have some purpose for us if it left us here…"

"Dunno. Damn thing collapses its tunnels every time it leaves, though, so for now, we're stuck here."

"When do you think it will come back?"

"The sooner the better, then I can get out of here."

Miroku let a slow breath escape his lips. How long would he be trapped down here? And what if the beast came back? Would he be able to make his escape? Or would he find himself on the receiving end of its fangs? It was a lot of questions he had to ask himself. And then there was Koga. He might be more humane than some, but he was still a demon. And he knew if Koga got hungry enough, he would find no problem with eating him. Miroku wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

Sango kneeled on the floor, her mind in a state of shock. Just moments ago she had watched as the one man that had always been there for her was dragged screaming to his possible doom. The image of him clawing desperately at the ground with a look of pure terror was permanently branded in her mind. She clenched her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry, but this only resulted in squeezing out a few salty tears which fell silently to the floor.

_Stay calm, Sango, _she told herself, _nothing ever was achieved by crying. It won't help you get Houshi-sama and Kirara back._

Stumbling to her feet she debated whether or not to jump in the hole and follow its tunnel.

_No, I'll need help. I'd better get Kagome and Inuyasha_. Nodding at her own decision, she ran off in search of her friends.

* * *

"I wonder how Sango and Miroku are doing?" Kagome said to no one in particular.

Inuyasha grunted as he took another sniff of the air. He growled in frustration. "Damn it! I don't understand! I could smell it before, why can't I now!"

"Because it burrows underground," Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see Sango approaching them.

"I thought you were looking for the demon," grunted Inuyasha.

"I was, and I found it," Sango responded her voice oddly emotionless.

"Uh, Sango…" began Kagome, "where's Miroku-sama?"

"He's… he's…" the Taijiya's lips quivered as she failed to keep her emotions in check. Hanging her head she answered in hardly a whisper, "The demon took him."

"Oh no…" Kagome gasped.

"Shit," swore Inuyasha.

"Where did the demon take him?" asked Kagome.

"I'll show you."

She led them to the room where Miroku had been dragged off. The hole in the floor was larger, as more room was needed to bring down Miroku than Kirara, in fact, it was large enough for them to fit down. Inuyasha was the first to jump into the large hole, followed by Sango, and finally Kagome and Shippo.

"So, should we just follow the tunnel?" asked Kagome.

"What other choice do we have?" Inuyasha retorted.

Shippo lit the path with is fox fire as they walked along. The undulated walls of the cavern glowed a menacing green under this light as they proceeded forward.

* * *

Miroku had always liked the dark, but now, he was beginning to loathe it.

_Damn it… If only I could see! _Then he remembered the Kagome's matches. He still had them from when he lit the oil lamp! Rummaging through his robes, he found his goal. Striking one match's bulbous end against the rough side of the box (as Kagome had showed him), he engulfed it in flames. It was a small flame, but it dimly lit an area with a radius of a couple feet around him.

"What the hell is that, Monk?" asked Koga from somewhere across the room.

"It's something of Kagome's," he answered in response. "Ow! Dammit!" The match had burnt down to his fingers and caught him. Bringing his fingers to his mouth he sucked on them absent-mindedly to ease the pain. He began fumbling around blindly on the floor. There had to be something that the demon had dragged in with one of it's pray. Unfortunately, all that he found were little sticks and twigs. Undeterred he kept searching.

Finally, against one wall of the cave he found a large pile of sticks. _What a convenience, _he thought, _I don't even need to make a pile myself_. He lit a match and brought it to the pile. After a while it was brought to a steady flame.

Miroku stood back, admiring his work, but when he looked up, something caughts his eye. He gasped.

"What's wrong, monk?" asked Koga.

"I think I just figured out why the demon brought us here," he groaned.

In the middle of the pile sat four, oblong, smooth, rock-like objects, each as large as a mid-size dog. Eggs. The fire licked at their rounded sides as they sat upon their nest.

Then one of the eggs cracked.

* * *

"Which way do we go?" asked Kagome.

They had reached a fork in the tunnel. Now they were looking at two possible paths.

"You think it's safe to split up?" asked Sango.

"There's no way to answer that question," muttered Inuyasha, "But we do have to find the bouzu. Sango and Kagome, take the right, I'll go left."

"Allright," they agreed.

Inuyasha darted off to the left, leaving Sango, Kagome, and Shippo to find their way through the path to the right. They walked in silence, Sango's brown eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Are you worried about him?" asked Kagome, mostly just trying to break the unsettling lack of noise.

"Huh? No, of course not. Houshi-sama can take care of himself." A lie, plain and simple. She was worried about him. She had no idea where he was, or if he was even alive. And at least Kirara could fight. With Miroku's spiritual powers nearly unexistant, he was reduced to his fighting skills, which were, at best, decent. He did still have the Kazaana, though… (a/n: Technically, a _Houshi_ is a low-level monk trained in combat, so Miroku does have some skills in fighting. However, as a human, his strength his not exceptional.)

Kagome saw through her lie, of course, but decided against trying to push Sango into admittance.

After a while of walking they came to an end in the tunnel.

"I guess it's a dead end," said Kagome.

Sango nodded, "Let's go back to the way Inuyasha went." Then, just as they were about to leave, they heard a scream.

"Houshi-sama," mouthed Sango.

* * *

Miroku backed up against the wall as the eggs hatched even further.

"So the demon brought us here as food for its young," smirked Koga. "They're babies, how hard can they be to kill?" he chuckled as he pushed off the wall onto his feet.

Then, with a great crack, one of the eggs exploded, sending shards off the egg flying off in all directions. Miroku grunted as one sliced a three inch gash in his arm as it sped past him.

Now, standing in front of them, was a half-sized replica of the demon they had seen before.

"Hell," remarked Koga, "That ain't no baby!"

"Some demons do most of their developing within the egg," Miroku responded, pulling his shakujou up in front of him. "It's basically just a smaller version of its mother."

"Weaker too?"

"Possibly…"

The demon shook off some of the slime still coating it from when it was in the egg and stepped from the flames that now were raging around its nest. The other eggs remained still and were soon engulfed by the ever-growing flames.

And then its eyes caught Miroku's. He shuddered at the pure look of maliciousness in them, and somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew what was coming, so when the demon charged, he screamed.

* * *

"Damn! We have to get through somehow!" yelled Sango, scratching frantically at the wall of dirt and rock with he wakazashi.

"I'm trying!" Kagome responded as she pulled rocks from the wall.

Then, from the other side of they wall came a high-pitched squeal.

* * *

The demon came close to Miroku it pounced. Holding his shakujou protectively, he waited for the hit to come. But it never did. As it was about an inch away from his face, it went flying to the right as a tremendous force collided with it. In its place stood Koga.

"You saved me?" asked Miroku.

"No," growled Koga, "I just attacked a demon. Whether you lived or not because of it is not my problem."

From where it was slumped against the wall, the young demon let out a loud squeal that caused Koga to cover his sensitive ears.

"Shut up, damn you!" he spat as he walked to the struggling demon and, with a swift drop of his foot, crushed its skull like it was made of paper.

"Gah! What's happening?" yelled Miroku as the ground began to rumble.

"Shit," swore Koga, "It called its mother."

Kirara growled from Miroku's feet before transforming into her battle-ready form.

* * *

"What is that rumbling?" asked Kagome.

"It's the demon!" yelled Sango. She turned to see the large form tumbling toward them. "Kagome, get to the side!"

They backed up against the walls as closely as they could. The demon drew closer and closer, before running straight on into the wall of rock. A great amount of dust rose up as the wall of rock crumbled easily under the demons force.

"Let's go," said Sango.

"Right," nodded Kagome as they ran through the newly created doorway.

* * *

Moments after Miroku and Koga first heard the rumbling one of the walls of their prison of rock exploded in a cloud of dust, and before they knew it they were starring down the demon that had dragged them down there in the first place. For brief moment it seemed quite uninterested in them as it sniffed the air. It walked over to the still-burning nest to find the two un-hatched eggs void of life, and then to its one hatched child. It sniffed at the smaller demon's dead body before letting out a great roar and turning on Miroku and Koga.

"I think we pissed it off…" said Koga.

"_We?"_ exclaimed Miroku, "You were the one that smashed its damn head in!"

"Hey, if I hadn't, you would not be here right now!"

The demon itself seemed uninterested in their conversation, and more so into doing to them what they had done to its child. Letting out another great roar, it charged down the two. They jumped out of the way at the last minute, and the demon ran head on into the wall. Stumbling dizzily it turned and shook its massive head, before once more raising its enraged eyes.

Koga wasted no time in taking on the massive beast, slamming his knee into its chin, and then bringing his heel down onto its skull. The demon fell to the ground, a dazed look in its eyes.

"You ain't so tough when you're not hiding underground!" he smirked.

No sooner than he had said that, one of the demons four tentacles swung from the side, catching Koga in the cheek and sending him clear across the room. His head struck the wall with so much force that he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Oh shit," groaned Miroku.

The demons eyes were now focused on him, its tentacles whipping wildly over its head. And then they froze.

"Crap."

With amazing speed, the tentacles shot towards him, the pointed tips seeking blood. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't move, his legs were frozen in place. He wanted to close his eyes, but they would not respond. And just as he was sure he would die, there was a black blur in front of him, and blood, lots of blood.

But it wasn't his.

* * *

**End Ch. 5**

Another cliffie, I suppose. Whose blood is it? Review and find out!


	7. Ch 6: Miroku's Mysterious Power!

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Damn, I'm really getting sick of saying that,

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Hey everyone! Sorry that I took so long with this update. I wrote one version of this chapter, but in the end I didn't like it so deleted and started from scratch. I'm still not completely satisfied, but I wouldn't want my loyal fans growing impatient! I may go back and edit this. Or not. I have a knack for bein' lazy. Anyway, on to review responses!

Ninalee-chan: Miroku screams. Hell, everyone screams when a giant beast is charging you down and you got nothing to protect yourself.

Angelofmusic516: Ooo, alert list! Thank you very much. So, is that like a second account of yours? 'Cause you signed Kenshingurl516.

Moonyme: Your a smart cookie aren't you? Yes, connections are very important. Maybe...

Veglma: I honestly thought I made who darted in front of him to obvious, but I seem to be confusing some people, so that's good! Peace out!

WORD: Well, your lucky this time, I couldn't think of a cliffhanger to end this one with. Cries

abby: Are you saying most boys are bad writers? That's a stereotype! But your right you know, hehe.

medlii: A wakazashi is a small, fragile sword, often carried by Samurai and Shinobi (ninjas). Samurai primarly used it as a secondary sword while in houses or other tight spaces when they didn't have room to use their full sized one. Shinobi carried it mainly because for a ninja, stealt is important, and a large samurai sword would restrict movement. Thank you and keep reviewing!

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for Fanfare... CHAPTER 6!

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Chapter 6: Miroku's Mysterious Power!

_Blood, lots of blood. But it wasn't his._

In that instant Miroku's world came crashing down. Sango fell limply into his arms, her head lolling back over his shoulder, blood pouring onto his robe from the wounds on her torso. An enraged Kirara blindsided the demon, effectively distracting it from Miroku and Sango.

"Sango," Miroku groaned, laying her on her back. The large amount blood on her body prevented Miroku from telling exactly how bad her wounds were. "Sango!" he called again.

Weakly she opened her large eyes to stare into his. "Hey, Houshi-sama," she stammered, an odd smile on her face.

"Sango, why?" he muttered, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Houshi-sama, you've taken plenty of hits for my sake," she mumbled, "now it's my turn to take one for yours."

"Yes, but none of those were this bad, Sango," he near-yelled, "I never was seriously wounded."

"You could have been, Houshi-sama," she smiled wearily, her voice fading quickly, "remember at Mt. Hurekai? Had you collapsed a meter earlier you'd be dead right now. You would've given your life for me, and I'd gladly give mine for yours."

"No, Sango! You have things to do with your life. You have to save Kohaku, you have to rebuild your village, you have to avenge an entire town of people Sango. I would die soon anyway, Sango!" he gasped, as if his arguing would prevent the inevitable.

"Yes," Sango said, bringing up a shaking, pale hand to cup his cheek, "but none of that would be the same without you."

For the first time since his father died, Miroku allowed himself to cry. The tears that spilled from his eyes left salty trails over his dirty cheeks. The dam that held back all his pain crumbled on the onslaught of tears.

"Don't cry Houshi-sama," Sango whispered, her eyelids closing, "I much prefer your perverted grin." And then her hand fell from his face, her eyelids shut, and life left her body.

"Dammit, Sango," swore Miroku, "All my life, everything that I've loved has been taken from me. My mother, my father, even my own future was destroyed, and I'll be damned if I have to lose you too!" He shot to his feet, his hands clenched tightly in fists.

Sensing someone approaching, he lifted his head to see Kagome running towards them.

"Oh, kami, Miroku-sama, is she okay?" she asked, her face contorted in worry.

"She's gone," was all he said.

"Oh no…" Kagome said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Kagome, listen carefully to me," Miroku hissed, "I want you to take her and Koga and get the hell out of here, okay?"

"But… what about you?"

"I have to fight this thing," the determination in his eyes was evident. "If it looks like I'm losing, I'll use the Kazaana to collapse the chamber."

"But you'll die!"

His head turned quickly and Kagome gasped at howbloodshot his eyes were. "I don't care," he said simply.

Kagome didn't bother to protest.

"Kirara!" shouted Kagome, "leave the demon to Miroku, I need you to carry Sango and Koga!"

The neko-youkai growled and fled from the demon toward Kagome, who lifted Sango onto her back. They then retrieved Koga and headed out the entrance. Seeing this, Miroku turned to the demon.

"It's just you and me now you bastard," he growled. Reaching to his neck, he grabbed the necklace and pulled it until it snapped. An immense headache hit him instantly, but he gritted his teeth and took the pain. This was for Sango, and he was ready to accept any level of torture for her.

* * *

As Kagome passed the entrance, she was met by a very anxious Shippo.

"Is she okay?" he whined.

Kagome shook her head. "She's dead Shippo."

"What?" Shippo stammered, not quite believing her ears.

"She's dead," Kagome repeated solemnly.

Shippo's eyes watered, but he shook them off. There's be time to cry later. Right now, he needed to be strong. Kagome needed him. "Where's Miroku?" he asked.

"He's fighting the demon."

"WHAT?" gasped Shippo, "There's no way he could defeat it!"

"He's going to use his Kazaana to collapse the tunnel."

"But he'll die!"

"He says he doesn't care. C'mon, we need to leave!"

Shippo stood still for a moment thoughts running quickly through his head. No way was he about to lose another one of his friends. A deep courage welled up in his heart, and suddenly he felt stronger than ever.

"I'm not leaving," he said out loud.

"What?"

"I said I'm not leaving!"

"Shippo, now's not the time to be the hero! We need to go or we'll die too!"

"I'm not going to leave Miroku here without hope of survival. Kagome, you said you'd never turn your back on your friends, and Miroku's our friend, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well then we have to stay! We can't just leave him here!"

"Allright," said Kagome, "We'll watch from the entrance, but if he opens the Kazaana we have to leave, okay?"

Shippo nodded.

* * *

With amazing speed Miroku flung an ofuda at the demon. It howled in pain as the spiritual tag burned it's skin.

"The only way for you to repay Sango's death," growled Miroku, "is with your own!"

Dashing towards the demon he flung sutra after sutra, each one weakening the demon further. A tentacle shot at him, but he darted to the side. He then hacked it off with his shakujou. The beast roared and charged. They were now dashing head on towards each other. Miroku felt something wrap around two of his arms. The tentacles had grabbed him! Struggling against the bonds, he tried to unwrap his gloved right hand, but to no avail. With a gasp he was flung into the wall of rock. His head snapped backward and cracked hard against the wall, and his world went black.

* * *

"Miroku-sama!" yelled Kagome as she watched him slide down the wall in a crumpled heap. "We have to help him!"

"Wait a minute!" shouted Shippo, "He's getting up!"

"What? That's impossible!"

But sure enough, when Kagome looked, she saw Miroku pushing himself to his feet.

* * *

Shakily, Miroku willed his feet to lift him. His whole body was in terrible pain, but still he continued. Slowly, a new power pulsed through his body, more power than he ever imagined he could muster. And with this power came rage. He hated the demon for what it did, and it only added fuel to the fire that was raging in his body. His aura expanded with this new power until it was literally spilling out his pores, gathering in a purple mist around his feet. The demon would die.

"Kami," gasped Kagome, "do you sense that, Shippo?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "I never knew Miroku had that much power.

Glancing down at Sango's body, Kagome sighed, "It's amazing what one can do when their heart is broken…"

* * *

The demon seemed to cower under the power emanating from the body of the monk. But its instincts got the better of it and it let out a roar as if to egg on Miroku. He didn't even flinched. Slowly he walked towards the beast, not bothering to rush himself. The demon seemed confused at this approach, and grew restless. Letting impatience get the best of it, it roared again and charged Miroku. Miroku immediately stopped his approach. Then, as the demon was only a few feet away, he jumped high into the air. Just as the creature went under him, he brought the butt of his shakujou down, impaling it's head to the ground. The demon squirmed and twitched before it body finally slumped lifelessly.

Walking up to its carcass Miroku pulled his staff from the dead beast's head. "For you Sango," he muttered.

Kagome watched stunned as Miroku ruthlessly slew the demon. Then, as he pulled his staff from its head, he looked up and his eyes caught hers. Slowly he approached.

"I thought I told you to leave," he said as he drew near.

"We couldn't," Kagome muttered, "we couldn't leave you."

Miroku shifted his attention to Sango. "I can save her," he stated.

"What?" asked Kagome, stunned.

"I can bring her back to life," he repeated.

"Well why don't you?" she yelled.

"I don't know what she'll be like when she wakes up," he said. "Do you have any idea what death will due to the mind? She might suffer life-long trauma. Sometimes it's best to just let things be."

"Miroku," Kagome said quietly, "She had too much to live for to forget her purpose. You know as well as I do she is one of the strongest people, in body and mind, that we have ever met. She won't forget her purpose, Miroku, she won't forget you either."

Miroku nodded. "I understand."

Moving painfully slow he knelt down over Sango's mutilated body. Holding his hands over her, Kagome felt a soothing power emanating from them. Slowly, before her eyes, Sango's wounds began to close. Then, as the final portions of muscle and skin were repaired, she shot up, coughing up any blood that had been in her throat. Kagome felt Miroku's immense aura disappear, and then he collapsed to the ground in pain and exhaustion.

"I'm, I'm alive?" muttered Sango, staring at her hands as their color returned before he eyes.

"SANGO!" cried Shippo, jumping into the revived taijiya's arms. "We thought you were gone forever!"

"I… I thought I was to," she looked up to Kagome, "What happened?"

"Miroku-sama, he saved you."

"Houshi-sama?" she questioned, looking down at his unconscious body. "How?"

"I… I don't know. I felt such a great power coming from him, almost as strong as Naraku's."

Sango simply nodded, knowing that Kagome wouldn't know exactly how. "He's going to be okay, right?"

"Yeah, he will," nodded Kagome, "we should probably repair his necklace though, before he wakes up to a nasty headache. You should have seen him Sango, he really cares for you."

"I know, I just… I just wish he could show it better when I'm actually awake."

"He will, in time. And besides, it's not exactly like you're not guilty of the same charge."

Sango sighed. "I guess you're right." Then she rose to her feet to help Kagome pick up the scattered beads of Miroku's necklace.

* * *

Inuyasha had been running for a long time when he finally came to an exit in the tunnel. Grunting, he pulled himself out of the hole and looked around. This proved to be quite useless as it was too dark to see anything. But a familiar scent caught his nose.

"Wolves," he growled. There was no doubt about it, he was on Koga's territory. "I better go get Kagome and the others, Miroku might be here, I wouldn't put it past Koga."

Jumping back down into the hole he darted back the way he came.

* * *

Kagome and Sango had long since returned to the inn with and unconscious Miroku and Koga. Sango sat in a corner with Miroku's head resting on her lap, absent-mindedly stroking away at his bangs.

"How long do you think Inuyasha will be?" she asked Kagome, who was tending to the wound on the back of Koga's head.

"Not much longer probably," she answered.

"Unless he got lost," piped up Shippo.

"Are you saying that I'd be stupid enough to do that?" came a voice from the doorway.

Shippo yelped and jumped nearly five feet in the air, then ran to hide behind Kagome.

"I see you found the bouzu," Inuyasha grumbled as he entered the room. He then spied Koga. "And just what the hell is the wolf doing here?"

"He was injured by the demon that took Miroku," answered Kagome.

Inuyasha "hmph"ed, clearly not enjoying that Koga was there, or the fact that Kagome seemed genuinely concerned abouthis rival'shealth.

"Where did your tunnel lead?" asked Kagome.

"It led to the wolf-demon territory," Inuyasha responded.

"Hmm, that musta been where Koga was abducted from."

"That's right," another voice responded as another person entered the room. "And now we'll be taking him back."

Kagome immediately recognized the feminine form of Ayame as she walked towards them.

"I saw Inuyasha and followed him back here. What happened to him?" she asked, bending down to more closely inspect his body.

"He was attacked by a very powerful demon," answered Kagome.

"He's going to be okay, right?" asked Ayame.

"Yeah, the hit he took was hard, but not fatal, he'll be fine."

"Thank you for taking care of him."

"No problem, really," smiled Kagome. She and Ayame had gotten along a lot better since Ayame realized she was not interested in Koga.

"Well, thanks anyway," said Ayame. "Anyway, we should really be getting back now, she said, lifting Koga's body over her shoulder. Feel free to pass through the wolves territory, I'll make sure Koga her doesn't bug you guys."

"Thank you," said Kagome. With a nod, Ayame sped off.

"So, when should we head off?" asked Inuyasha.

"We should wait 'til tomorrow," said Kagome, glancing over towards Sango, who was still playing idly with Miroku's hair. "Right now, I think Sango needs some down time."

"Fine," grunted Inuyasha, "but no later."

Kagome nodded. "Allright, but right now, we need to get some sleep."

And after all they had been through, Inuyasha and Co. had no trouble finding sleep. Even Sango fell asleep with her head lolled back against the wall, one hand still tangled in Miroku's bangs, for tomorrow they would head northward once again, to face a danger of a caliber none of them could even imagine.

And this time they might not be so lucky.

* * *

**End Chapter 6**

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* * *

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Sorry I didn't have a cliffie for yous guys this time. I hope you don't mind too much. Hehe. Anyways, please review, and I'll have the next installment of When Night Falls up soon! (I hope).


	8. Ch 7: Enter The Elemental Mages!

**When Night Falls **

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha but(insert funny comment here).

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Okay, I'm sorry to say this is a rather short chapter, but the story picks up in action major from this point onwards. 

Now for reviews!

ninalee-chan- ah, thanks, I'm glad that made up for it!

Veglma- Have I ever told you that you are one of the most random people ever? No? Heehee...

Medlii- Okay, okay, simple mistake. I hate that though, I always do that. And you're not a grammar nazi... (shifty eyes)

Moonyme- Uh thanks... I had to read through your review a bout ten times just to understand it. But it's cool, thanks for the words of support!

xxxroxyxxx- Intense, eh? Sweet.

Vanima Nwalmaer- Ooo... thankee!

AngelofMusic516- Yes, Miroku ish very awesome.

Thanks for all the uber-kind reviews! I luvs yous alls!

* * *

**Chapter 7:Enter the Elemental Mages!**

Miroku stepped lightly through the grass, the rings of his shakujou jingling gently with every footfall.

"Where am I?" he wondered. He had certainly never been to this place before. The plains around him seemed to stretch out forever in each direction. Runnng his fingers through the hair he fell backwards so that he was lying face up on the ground, staring up at the bluest sky he had ever seen. "Am I dreaming?"

"One could say that," came another voice. Miroku shot up instantly.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"You are a monk of Buddha, are you not?" the voice laughed, "Then you should be able to find me."

Somehow knowing what to do Miroku closed his eyes and focused. _There's something here that isn't right, something out of place_. Feeling a disturbance in the energy of his dream he turned around to see a giant tree appear right before his eyes. Under the tree a lone figure sat, apparently in the middle of prayer. Walking towards the tree he approached the figure, the something hit him. Whoever…whatever, this thing was, it was a demon.

"Hello Monk Miroku," the figure said, raising his elegant eyes to look into Miroku's.

"Who are you?" Miroku asked.

"Tell me, who do you think I am?"

Miroku snorted. "You're not human, that much I'm sure of."

"Very keen of you," the demon laughed. "Please, sit down," he said, patting the ground next to him.

Miroku eyes the newcomer suspiciously, but sensing no malevolence he took a seat. "Were you praying?" he asked.

"Yes, I was," the demon answered.

"What for?" he asked.

"Well, the same reason you or anyone else would pray, to draw ourselves closer to Buddha and eventually reach Nirvana."

Miroku's eyes widened, "Are you saying that you follow the ways of Buddha?"

"Yes I am. And I wouldn't suppose you're suggesting demons cannot?"

"No, no, not at all. I've just… never met one who did. Well, except perhaps Shippo, but I suppose that is Kagome's influence…"

"Ah yes, the Kitsune. A little annoying might I say, but quite a loyal companion."

"Wha… how do you know about him?"

"Oh, I know about all of them, the miko, the hanyou, and yes, the taijiya, who you seem to have quite a fancy for. You see, Miroku, I have been with you for a long time. A lot longer than you realize. I've been with you since you were a boy, I've followed you as you first set off to fight Naraku, and when you met Inuyasha and Kagome."

"If you've been with more for that long, how come I'm only seeing you now?"

"For the longest time I have been locked away in this deepest corners of your mind, it as only yesterday that I first was released," he said, giving Miroku a smile that clearly meant he wanted him to figure out the rest of the story.

Miroku sighed and leaned his head back on the trunk of the tree. "So am I to assume that that power yesterday… was you?"

The demon grinned, nodding his head with a look of pride.

"Then I owe you my gratitude, I'd be dead now if it weren't for you."

"You don't need to thank me. If you die, I die, so by protecting you," he put his hand to Miroku's chest, "I'm protecting myself," he said as he moved it to his own.

Miroku's eyes narrowed, "But you saved Sango too."

The demon gave another toothy grin. "I guess I did."

They sat in silence for a long time before a voice rang out over the plain.

"Houshi-sama… Houshi-sama, wake up."

"That's Sango," Miroku said, looking at the sky.

"Yes," said the demon. He pushed himself to his feet using the tree, "and I really must be going."

"Wait," said Miroku, also rising to his feet, "Please, tell me, who are you, really?"

The demon walked up to him. "All will be revealed in due time, Monk Miroku. But now you need to wake up."

He tapped Miroku on the forehead, and the plains that surrounded Miroku disappeared. As he was dragged out of his dreams the demon's voice rang out once more, "If you ever find yourself, or any of your friends, in danger, just call on me and I'll be there to help". Miroku nodded.

That morning Miroku woke up to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, Sango's smiling face looking over him.

* * *

And so, Inuyasha and Co. set off again. They took the demon's tunnel northward to wolf territory, and from there continued in the darkness towards their destination. Miroku was still rather weak, and was carried on the back of a transformed Kirara. 

"Damn it," cursed Inuyasha, "Just how far north is this thing?"

"It's supposed to be on one of the northern islands," said Miroku weakly.

"Do you know how long that's gonna take?" asked Inuyasha.

"A week, considering there are no hold-ups," said Sango, "and we don't even know how long we have…"

"That would be a handy piece of information," Kagome spoke up, "we could have a years, or even ten minutes for all we know…"

"We just have to keep our hopes up," Miroku responded, "and the sooner we get there the better."

The others only nodded.

"Say," said Inuyasha, "how do you suppose we're gonna cross the ocean when we get to the north?"

No one had an answer.

"I guess we'll just have to think of that when we get there," Kagome smiled optimistically.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cave not to far to the north, four figures sat, awaiting their moment to rise. 

"So, master revived us because he wanted us to destroy this threat?" asked a small figure in the corner of the cave.

"Yes, those were our orders," another figure answered.

"I don't see the importance of this…" yet another one grunted, "master is great enough to take on any threat.

"That may be true…" All three figures that sat in the cave turned to the one that had just entered, "But until his power is fully restored, he must concentrate all his energy on regaining it. For now, it is our duty to ensure that that goal is reached." The newcomer held himself with an air of confidence that signified leadership.

"You find out where they are boss?" asked the smallest figure.

Their leader smiled, revealing a long, pointed fang, "Yes, they are quite near. It would appear, brother, that it is your turn to shine, if, that is, you think you can handle it."

"Oh… I doubt you need to worry about that," he chuckled, "I'm sure they'll fall over with the slightest breeze." And in a gust of wind, the smallest figure had disappeared.

* * *

Kagome yawned and stretched her arms as she woke up. Inuyasha and co. had found another empty village to spend the night in, and for the first time since they had set off on their northward expedition, they had been able to sleep undisturbed. Miroku seemed to have regained quite a bit of his energy back, as he now walked for himself, though not without the occasional stumble, to which Sango would quickly be there to catch his fall. Inuyasha walked at a quick pace in front of them all, eager to get over this threat and get back to the hunt for Naraku. 

"Would you slow down Inuyasha?" yelled Kagome, "We can't walk as fast as you, and with Miroku…"

"I'm sorry about all this," Miroku said from behind.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," Kagome comforted.

From his place far in front of them Inuyasha grumbled, and slowed down, waiting for them to catch up. A slow, cool breeze picked up, causing Kagome to shiver. But it was not like the breeze that came with the darkness, whatever was the cause of the wind was definitely demonic. As it whipped lightly at Inuyasha's long, silver hair, his frown disappeared from his face, and was replaced with a look of confusion.

"Something's coming," he said.

"What?" asked Kagome who was still catching up.

"Somethng's coming!" he repeated louder. As he said this the wind began to pick up. Kagome's hair whipped wildly around her face and she tied it back in a ponytail to keep it out of her mouth and eyes.

"Kagura?" Sango yelled over the roaring wind.

"No, not even Kagura is this powerful." Halfway through his sentence the wind abruptly stopped, and he finished it in a much louder voice then necessary.

"Now, now, there's no need for shouting," came a new voice.

Inuyasha and co. suddenly became ware of a newcomer in their ranks. Inuyasha slowly turned around, only to be met with a shot of wind that sent him flying ten feet back.

"Inuyasha!" yelled Kagome, running up next to him. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he muttered. Getting up, he brushed off his pants and sent a death glare at his attacker. "Just who the hell are you?"

The new figure, stood silent for a moment, allowing Kagome to get a good look at him. He was very short, and seem to be clad mostly in green. He had long black hair that fell down to his feet, and most of his face was covered by the raised neck of his cloak.

"Did you hear me?" growled Inuyasha, "I asked who you were!"

"Well that's a toughy there," the demon said, "I don't have a name per se… but if you must call me something, I guess Kaze will do… after all, I control the winds."

"Well, Kaze," spat Inuyasha, "I would greatly appreciate it if you got out of our way."

"Unfortunately, that is one thing I cannot do," said Kaze. "Now, if you would gladly pull out that little sword of yours, I would like to begin the process of eliminating you."

"Why you little," muttered Inuyasha, "I'll show you! Kaze no Kizu!" He whipped out the Tetsusaiga and swung it forward with a mighty arc.

As the five rays of energy sped towards Kaze he merely shook his head. With a flick of his wrist, the Kaze no Kizu was flying back towards Inuyasha.

"Gah!" Inuyasha yelled as he grabbed Kagome and jumped over his deflected attack.

"Are you retarded or something?" sighed Kaze, "I just finish telling you I control the wind, and you attack me with a wind based attack? Now that's not very smart."

"Shit…" growled Inuyasha, "This guy is really beginning to bug me…"

"Now that that moment of stupidity is over," laughed Kaze, "let's continue with our little battle shall we?"

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**End Chapter 7

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Dun dun dun... and the battle with Kaze, the wind mage, begins! Will Inuyasha and co. be able to hold up against this formidable opponent? Or will the world really end? And will Miroku call upon his newfound ally for help? Review and I'll hurry up with the next chapter!


	9. Ch 8: Feel Like Suffocating

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: Despite what Nikolai says, I don't own Inuyasha. (For those of you who don't know, Nikolai is my evil Russian second personality, HE"S NOT TO BE TRUSTED!)

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Hi! Sorry 'bout the wait. I absolutley hated my first draft of this and wrote it over. Plus I became rather obsessed with Harry Potter for a little while after reading the book (I've actually started with a fanfic on that, but I don't know if I want to post it or not yet). Oh, more news. Unfortunately, because of vacation, I will be unable to update next week. I know, it's sad. Anyway, ON TO REVIEWS!

Ninalee-chan: Has a thing for Sango? Really? Naw, he just understands the _Miroku _has a thing for Sango.

Veglma: Oho, you'll see more of him allright! When? I ain't tellin'!

AngelofMusic516: Okey-dokey! Dang, you make me wish I wasn't going on vacation next week... now I feel all guilty that I can't update!

Medlii: Yes, I wanted to leave Miroku's ally in the dark a bit, but that is because even Miroku doesn't understand him much yet. But I assure you, he will play a large role in chapters to come. I hope this fight is interesting!

Moonyme: Thanks much! I like to slip a little bit of humor in here and there, for instance, in this chapter you'll find Kaze referenced to (in my mind) some quite comical things. Sorry I took so long with the update, but I want to make this story as good as I can for all you wonderful reviewers!

Thanks for the kindreviews, and remember, don't sneeze, fart, and burp and the same time. You'll blow up. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION!

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**Chapter 8:IFeel Like Suffocating**

Inuyasha stared down his new opponent, breathing heavily.

"Out of breath already, are you?" taunted Kaze, a sinister glint playing at the corner of his eye. "Pity, after all I've heard about you…"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Inuyasha, who was now using his Tetsusaiga for support. "What the hell did you do to me?"

"Why should I give away my secrets? I suppose you'll just have to figure out this yourself."

Inuyasha grunted. What was happening to him? He dodged one attack and was already out of breath. The answer hit him like a ton of bricks. "You… you… thinned the air!" he gasped.

"Well, it appears you are a bit smarter than I gave you credit for! Let's see how well you fight with one half the normal oxygen intake!"

Breathing deeply, Inuyasha flung the Tetsusaiga onto his shoulder. It seemed awful heavy all of a sudden. "You're forgetting something," he grinned, "It'll be harder for you to breath too."

Kaze chuckled. "Not likely. For years I trained on the highest mountains of the continent, I am used to this lack of air."

"I'm sick of talking," growled Inuyasha, "let's fight!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, In a hurry I see, oh well, if you insist." From his back, Kaze pulled a large paper umbrella, which he opened by swinging it around his body.

With a deep grunt, Inuyasha held his Tetsusaiga at ready and charged Kaze. Just as he was about to hit him, however, Kaze shot straight up into the air, carried by his umbrella.

"Get down here!" snarled Inuyasha.

"As you wish," smirked Kaze. His umbrella collapsed and became Kaze shifted it below him so he became, essentially, a spear.

Inuyasha just escaped being impaled as he jumped to the side a the last moment. Dust had risen up from the place Kaze had landed, effectively obscuring his view. All of a sudden a palm came flying out of the cloud and struck Inuyasha in the chest. A blast of wind issued from it and Inuyasha was flying backwards. He hit the ground hard and skidded to a halt at Kagome's feet. Wheezing and coughing he staggered upright, a look of severe pain plastered across his face.

"Oh my," worried Kagome, "Inuyasha, are you allright?"

"He… he knocked the wind… right outta me," Inuyasha gasped, still desperately trying to catch his breath.

"HIRAIKOTSU!" Kagome's hair was tossed forward as the giant boomerang passed by just inches to her right side. But then, with a gust of wind, it was hurtling right back at her. With a scream Kagome ducked below the whirring bone.

"Watch out Sango!" she yelled to the person who had thrown the Hiraikotsu. Thankfully, the boomerang was knocked out of the air by Miroku's staff before it could hit the unready Taijiya.

"Thanks Houshi-sama," she said to the monk.

"No problem…" he coughed, still suffering slightly from his injuries and even more so by the lack of air.

Kagome, who by this point knew better than to fire her arrows, ran back to join Miroku and Sango whilst Inuyasha jumped right back into battle with Kaze.

"You should be careful," Kagome said to Miroku, "you're still not completely over your injuries."

"I'm fine," he insisted, "but now we must concentrate on the task at hand, how do we beat this guy?"

"I'm not sure," muttered Sango, "how does one stop the wind?"

"Good question," Kagome sighed.

"Well, I'm going to help Inuyasha," she said, pulling out her wakazashi and charging forward.

"We should go help them…" said Miroku.

Kagome nodded, even though she knew she wouldn't be of much assistance without her arrows. With Miroku, she ran in to join the fray. The lack of oxygen hit her almost instantly, and she found herself tiring almost twice as quickly. Yet, with the four of them in battle at the same time, they appeared to be making progress against Kaze. Inuyasha seemed to have limitless stores of energy, slashing madly at the wind mage despite his obvious pain. Sango, having trained for years in physical combat, was also nearly tireless, and with her speed managed to get in very close range to Kaze, only to be blown back and needing to rush in. Miroku, however, was obviously struggling, his hair matted to his face with sweat, and his heavy robes slowing him down considerably. But fatigue was beginning to show on Kaze also, his reactions becoming more sluggish, and when Sango was able to inflict a long gash on his cheek an expression of annoyance spread over his features.

"It's seems I underestimated you," he growled, showing anger for the first time, "but let's see hoe you fair with one fourth the normal air!"

Almost immediately everyone felt a tug on their lungs as they gasped desperately to force even the tiniest amount of oxygen into their bodies. Oddly enough, however, the winds whipping around them weakened severely. That's when it struck Miroku. While it was harder for them to fight, if there was less air, there was less that Kaze could manipulate into wind. His greatest power was his greatest weakness, and Miroku waisted no time in telling this to his companions. Smiles of confidence appeared on their battle-weary faces as opportunity showed itself.

"And I'm willing to bet Kaze can't take much of a hit," grinned Inuyasha, "He's been defending this whole battle."

"So hit him once," mused Sango, "and he goes down."

The battle was on once more, yet hitting Kaze proved harder said than done. His umbrella yanked him left and right away from any attack as he waited for his attackers to become weary to the point he could knock them over with the slightest breath. It did not take Kagome long to realize that her arrows were effective for catching Kaze off guard and, possibly, leading him into an assault by one of her companions. Suddenly they heard a thump and turned to see Miroku sprawled out on the ground, clearly exhausted. He was quick to lift himself to his feet however, and with a grunt ripped off his heavy robes, leaving him only in his black pants. A great amount of energy seemed to return to him and he dashed in to attempt a strike on the flailing mage. Sango however, seemed quite distracted by the cameo of Miroku's rarely-shown abs, and ended up on the receiving end of a shot off wind which sent her flying backwards, if only to shoot back, carried on a enraged Kirara.

Then it happened. Kagome fired an arrow, narrowly missing Kaze's head. He turned on impulse to see his attacker, but when he turned he found himself face to face with a grinning hanyou. Inuyasha wasted no time punching him right in his ugly mug. This sent the wind mage tumbling backwards over the ground a good thirty feet. The wind-inclined midget rose to his feet looking quite flustered.

"Damn you!" he hissed venomously, "But you won't be so cocky when I take away ALL OF YOUR AIR!"

And the wind stopped.

Kaze's eyes widened realizing his fatal mistake. "Whoah shi-!" The Kaze no Kizu tore up the ground as it approached him. Desperately he tried to pick up the wind, but alas he could not in time, and let out a blood-curdling scream as his body was battered ruthlessly.

Suddenly the air returned, much to the relief of our oxygen-starved heroes. Kagome never thought air tasted so good. Flanked by his companions, Inuyasha made his way towards the spread-eagled body of Kaze. The wind mage lifted his head wearily to watch their approach, fear in his eyes.

"So," smirked Inuyasha, Tetsusaiga in hand, "have any last words?"

"Yes," groaned Kaze, his face shifting quickly to one of glee, "see you in hell!"

Inyasha gasped as the wind at his feet picked up. Before he could say anything, he, along with his friends, were swept high in the air and found themselves in a swirling cyclone. Urgently he reached for the hand of Kagome next to him, but could not as they were ripped mercilessly away from her. Miroku and Sango found themselves in a similar situation.

"Sango!" yelled Miroku, clutching her hand tightly, "Don't let go!"

But their hands, already drenched in sweat, slipped easily from each other grasp.

"HOUSHI-SAMA!" yelled Sango as the raging winds tore him from her vision. Something wet hit her in the face, and somehow beyond her, she instantly knewit was one of Miroku's tears. Then, everything went black.

* * *

From his place on the ground, Kaze chuckled. "Thought they could get away…" Then his head lolled back and life left his body. In the darkness a new figure appeared next to his. It kneeled down, one hand resting on the dead mage's chest.

"You fought well brother," the figure spoke, a hint of sorrow in its voice, "But your death was not in vain, for what was your power will now be mine."

And with that, the newcomer proceeded to consume the body of his deceased brother, and not until the last drop of blood was licked from the bare bones did the figure rise, a superior grin on its face. Then the wind picked up and carried it away.

* * *

**End Chapter 8**

Allright, there you go! Expect my next update in 1 1/2 to two weeks!

Please review!


	10. Ch 9: To Never Cry Again

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I'll own Inuyasha the day I get out of the houseand get some color to my pale-ass skin. (AKA Never)

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Whooeee! This here's one of my longest chapters, but it took me the shortest to right of any of them. I was on a roll! My writer's block finally wore off, and I'm here bringin' ya chapter 9! But first... reviews!

ninalee-chan: Ah, yes, bye bye robes. Spur of the moment desicion actually, but I loved writing it. It's just odd, 'cause ya really never see Miroku without his robes y'know? Inuyasha is so quick to ditch his shirt, but Miroku... maybe he's hidin' a beer-belly? Nah.

AngelofMusic516: Yes, yes, I know that feeling. 'Tis no fun.

Veglma: Gee,they should hire you to be the end of episode narrator person. Y'know, the one who asks all the questions, just in case we were to stupid to ask ourselves the same ones? Yeah, that dude. I love 'im.

Moonyme: With what was left of his energy Kaze created a Tornado, and Sango was trying to hold on to Miroku, but couldn't. You musta been skippin' around a bit if you missed it, but it's okay, I do it too. Yes, I do have a thing for disgusting...

Medlii: Ah thanks so much. I liked him too. He was fun to write. But there's still three siblings to go, and they all have quite... erm... odd personalities.

Thanks for all the great reviews! Here is! 3...2...1...

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**Chapter 9:To Never Cry Again**

The first thing that became apparent to Miroku was heat. Intense heat, bearing down strong on him. The second was fact that he seemed to be laying in something wet that was creating an uncomfortable glove cradling his back. And the third thing was light. For the first time for what seemed liked months he was surrounded by light. Groaning he hoisted himself to his feet. His pants stuck uncomfortably to the back of his legs. Wiping his sweat-drenched bangs out of his eyes, he squinted until his vision became clear again. He seemed to be in some sort of desert, a vast barren strip of land. The ground was dry and cracked as far as he could see, and no signs of life were visible. Looking up towards the sky, he was surprised to see it still covered in thick dark clouds. But on one side, which he could only assume to be north, the clouds cast a blood red glow over the land. He ran his hand through his hair, inhaling a deep breath as he fully took in the extent of what he was seeing. One hand resting on his side brought him back to awareness of the odd moisture, and he looked again towards the ground.

"Shit…"

There, not two feet away from where he was standing, lay Inuyasha, crumpled in a heap. Blood was seeping from his mangled body, and had created a large puddle on the ground. Miroku knew it was an injury no ordinary human could survive, but he had little doubt Inuyasha could pull through it. Still, the wounds needed to be bandaged to prevent death of blood loss, something he was sure not even the great Inuyasha could recover from. His robes, having been discarded against Kaze, were not present, though that is what he would usually use. Opening the fire rat shirt Inuyasha wore, he tore off Inuyasha's white undershirt, which he promptly ripped to shreds and wrapped around Inuyasha's wounds. All the while thanking Buddha he had not suffered the same fate, he hoisted Inuyasha over his shoulder and headed off towards the ominous red glow.

* * *

"Kagome, wake up! Please wake up!"

The raven-haired Miko slowly opened her eyes to see the face of a very distressed young fox youkai hanging over her.

"You're okay!" wailed Shippo, flinging himself onto her and hugging her tightly.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine! Ow… that hurts!" groaned Kagome, wishing desperately she had a Jaws-of-Life present with which to removing the sobbing ball of fluff who was currently cutting off blood flow to her brain. Sitting up and taking a look around she absorbed her environment. She seemed to be lying on a river bed, the moist, muddy ground having cushioned her fall. Surrounding her was a rather deep forest full of trees, the only opening to the sky following the river.

"Where's Inuyasha and the others?" she questioned.

"I don't know…" whined Shippo, "I woke up and you were on the other side of the river, but I couldn't find anyone else!"

Sighing as she looked up towards the sky, she noted that there was a red glow coming from on direction.

Pointing towards the red horizon she spoke, "We'd best head that way. That's where the others would go… if they're alive."

"Don't say that Kagome… please…"

* * *

How long had it been since he started off? Seconds, minutes… hours? Miroku did not know and, truthfully, he didn't care much. All he was aware of was the extreme fatigue that now coursed through his body. The heat and humidity still pressed in on him from all sides, but he had long since stopped sweating. His body was too dry for that. His mouth yearned for water, what saliva he had left was thick and viscous, creating a rather uncomfortable environment for his tongue, which had plastered itself to the bottom of his mouth. Each step was a more a labor than the next, and it did not help that the body slung over his shoulder grew heavier with each passing second. Finally, with a great grunt, he fell forward, hitting the ground hard. But he did not feel pain, if anything, feeling his body on the ground was more a relief. The urge to sleep was stronger than anything he had known.

_Please, _he thought, his head swimming in exhaustion, _please let me die in my sleep._

But when he closed his eyes, only one thing could appear in his mind. _Her_. Sango, the best thing to happen to him since… well… his birth (which, honestly, wasn't too welcome in his mind).

"Damn it, Sango," he croaked dryly, "just let me die… please…"

But her face would not depart from his thoughts. And in his thoughts, she was always smiling, always. That's when Miroku found her most beautiful, no, it did not matter what kind of smile it was. Whether it was shy, exuberant, or even bittersweet, whenever the corners of her lips turned up, it absolutely took his breath away. But, unfortunately, this was the side of her that showed through least often. Plagued by a past that was dark and evil, she often remained melancholy, lost in the realm of thought. And yet, she seemed to brighten up at the sight of Miroku, she seemed to… Miroku gasped as a wave of realization washed over him.

_I… I make her smile. _The thought crashed through his brain like tsunami, revitalizing all his senses, bringing new energy to his body as he pulled himself to his feet. Slinging Inuyasha over his shoulder once more, he trudged his way towards the light, one thought continuously running through his mind. _She won't lose anyone else. She'll never have cry again._

It was three hours later that he, with a prayer to Buddha,crashed his head into the water of a river surrounded by forest, regaining his senses and drinking deeply. First he cleaned Inuyasha's wounds, then rolled over on the soft grass of the river bank and, confident he would wake up, closed his eyes as a deep sleep came over him.

* * *

Kagome continued her path along the river, hoping desperately that she'd meet up with her friends along the line. She trusted they were okay, at least, that's what her ever-optimistic mind told her. But after what seemed like hours of walking, her optimism began to fade. It was Shippo, however, who restored her hope when he had sniffed the air and exclaimed,

"That smell, it's Kirara!"

"Where?" asked Kagome, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"She's just up the way a bit!" grinned Shippo, racing forward with energy he most certainly should not have had. Rolling her eyes, Kagome ran after him.

Sure enough, they soon spotted a white bundle curled p on the side of the river, which turned out to be the small cat demon. She was unconscious, though, and Sango was nowhere in sight.

"Sango's not here…" sighed Kagome, cradling Kirara in her arms, "I'm getting worried."

"We'll find her!" chirped Shippo, his eyes narrowed in accusation at Kagome.

"What?" questioned Kagome at his expression.

* * *

Miroku's eyes slowly opened as he woke up. Standing, he stretched his limbs. They were sore, yes, but it was nothing compared to the immense spasms of pain he had been receiving from them before. He had no way of telling just how long he had slept with the sky covered in clouds, but he could have sworn the red light to the north was just a bit brighter…

"You're awake."

Miroku spun around to find Inuyasha, his face void of expression as he leaned against a tree.

"When'd you get up?" asked Miroku.

"'Bout an hour ago. Tried to wake ya up, but you were out like a rock."

"Hmm…"

"So, where are we?"

"I'm not sure, I think Kaze's little trick backfired though, we ended up farther north, I believe. These trees, some of them only grow pretty far up."

"I see," Inuyasha's eyes narrowed a bit, "and where's Kagome?"

"Not here apparently."

Inuyasha's face contorted in some unknown emotion, but it was soon wiped away and replaced with it's usual sternness. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"Well, we can keep moving, and hope we find them, or stay here, and hope they find us. How're your injuries?"

Inuyasha grunted. "Fine."

Miroku was not buying it, but he knew Inuyasha would not be content to just sit around, nor did he particularly want to sit around with only a grumpy hanyou for company. "Well, let's just move a little bit then, not too much at a time."

"Whatever." (Typical Inuyasha. His basic sentence structure consists of only one word.)

Groping for his shakujou, it only now became apparent to Miroku that he did not have it. His mind had been so wrapped up in other things he hadn't even noticed. Cursing himself heavily for losing a priceless family heirloom, he attempted to help a limping Inuyasha, who shoved him away and instead turned to his Tetsusaiga for support.

After about two hours of slow travel it became obvious Inuyasha could no longer continue, and they stopped to rest. Propped himself against a tree and fell promptly asleep, his head lolling back on his shoulder. It was at this time Miroku learned something new. Inuyasha snored. Loud. Real loud. As in louder than a Deep Purple concert loud. Usually he was far away in a tree when he slept, but now he was no more than five feet away from Miroku. Groaning in exasperation, Miroku trudged his way to the river. At least he would be able to get a good bath in. Not even bothering to take off his pants he waded into the cold water. Goosebumps immediately rose across his body when he first submerged, but soon became accustomed to the cold temperature and relaxed. His hair was matted with blood and sweat, and he pulled it out of it's dragon tail revealing it was truly about shoulder length. Dipping his head under he tried his best to clean his hair of everything, and when he felt he had done of fairly good job he surfaced.

Then, looking to the north, he noticed something. A black form was floating downstream. Watching curiously as it approached, he tried to make out what it was. But as it passed him he gasped in horror. It was Sango, floating on her back! Shooting to his feet he chased after her, but the water slowed him immensely. Jumping out of the water he ran along the bank, summoning energy he thought had left him long ago. When he was close enough he jumped in and, grabbing her limp form, dragged her onto the bank.

Her face was deathly pale, her skin wrinkled from being in the water for so long.

"Wake up, Sango!" he shook her shoulders gently.

Her mouth opened slightly and she vomited. Turning her over to prevent her from choking, Miroku patted her back until all of the vile fluid was out of her mouth.

"Houshi-sama?" she groaned weakly.

"Yes, yes, it's me Sango, what is it?"

"S-so cold," she shivered.

"Shit," swore Miroku. Hypothermia was setting in. He didn't have any dry clothes on him. Sango needed to get dry soon or else…

"Miroku!"

Miroku looked up to see Kagome and Shippo running towards him. Sighing with relief, he noted Kagome had her book-bag, meaning she most likely had a change of clothes.

"Kagome, Sango needs your help!" he yelled.

"Oh! What happened?" asked Kagome, her features disguised with worry.

"I found her in the river, she needs dry clothes, quickly."

"Right," nodded Kagome, "thankfully, Shippo found her pack, so she has her normal clothes to change into. By any chance, have you seen Inuyasha?"

"Yes, he's just upstream, sleeping. I'll wait up there while you change her, okay?"

"Right," nodded Kagome.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Kagome led a shivering, sneezing Sango to Miroku and Inuyasha.

"How is she?" asked Miroku.

"Pretty good, she has a flu, though I think."

Inuyasha grunted in annoyance that this would slow them down even more. Miroku hit him. (Note: I would like to let all readers know, no Inuyasha's were severely hurt in the making of this fan-fic. Yeah right, I torture the poor guy!)

Standing up, Miroku placed a hand on Sango's shoulder. "You should probably get some sleep."

"Thank you," she said in a near whisper.

As Sango and Kagome slept, Miroku sat looking out on the river, his mind wrapped in thought.

"Thank Buddha all the demons fled to the south," he muttered to himself, flipping a flat stone so that it skipped across the water, "a fight is the last thing we need."

"Well you better prepare yourself then, dear, cause that's what your just about to get!"

The stone skipped one final time before sinking into the water.

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**End Chapter 9

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Bum...bum...bum! Is Miroku hearing voices? Or is the Inu-taichi's luck just about to run out!**

Review and find out on the next exciting chapter of... When Night Falls!


	11. Ch 10: Miroku is the Kenny of Inuyasha

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: Do I really need to tell you guys this? I mean, you'd think you'd know it by now. But I guess not ya idiots. I don't own Inuyasha, ok?

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Well, here I am with chapter 10... not too crazy 'bout this chapter, but the next one's a battle so that should be good! This one's more of and explaining thing. Anyway, onto reviews! (We're not supposed to do these, but what the hell). 

Chippy: Thanks for da review! Heh... Chippy... I like that.

Siren66: Sweet. Thanks!

Moonyme: Yay! You just basically quoted the whole chapter right there! Oh well. This chapter has some humor in it, not the most of some of them, though.

Medlii: Ah, thank you. I guess you'll find out in this chapter, eh?

Veglma: I cannot at all understand the last sentence of you're review. Oh well. Thanks!

AngelofMusic516: You know what they say, finish the old and start the new!

Thank you for the kind reviews. I luv yous alls!

Anyway, here's the chapter!

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**Chapter 10: Miroku is the "Kenny" of Inuyasha**

Miroku stared straight ahead, trying to figure out if what he just heard was true. Looking behind him, he checked that all the others were still sleeping, and he turned back to the river.

"Who said that?" he asked warily, eyes shifting left to right, keeping a steady watch for anything that appeared out of the ordinary.

"Oh my, did I scare you?" It was the same voice again, the same soothing motherly tone, yet with a undeniable undertone of pure malevolence.

"Who are you? What do you want?" asked Miroku, still searching for ways to assure himself it was truly his rattled, tired mind creating the disembodied voice. One hand slowly made it's way to his prayer beads, which he clutched readily.

"What do I want?" Miroku gasped as a wave of pure evil energy hit him, the voice spoke again, but this time all of the kindness was stripped, leaving only a reverberating, grinding, trill that rang out around him. "REVENGE!"

Two tendrils of water shot up from the river and wrapped around Miroku.

"Okay… definitely not imagining this," he muttered as he struggled to free himself from the bindings. It was, however, to no avail, and soon he was being tugged forward. With a gasp he fell forward into the freezing cold water. He tried desperately to move, but his body was completely immobile. His body was burning for air, but it did not come. His vision blurred, and any pain he felt dissolved into numbness as his eyes slowly closed.

* * *

A sudden splash awoke Sango suddenly from her slumber. She sat up slowly (not that she could quickly with her sickness) and looked around. Looking towards the river she noted slight ripples rolling across it's surface. Disregarding it as a frog, she groaned and laid back down, letting her previously interrupted sleep wash over her. Given her delirious state, one would not be surprised that she had failed to notice that one of their number was missing, or that the ripples on the river were much to large to have been caused by a frog.

* * *

Just as Sango had awoken, so did Miroku, yet it was some time later that he had opened his eyes. His first thought was that he was dead, for he seemed to be floating casually in one place in a plain lack of any discernable features whatsoever, but as he got his wits about him, he realized that he was surrounded by water, and that he was floating in what appeared to be some sort of bubble. A very unpleasant chamber, he sighed dully, it was uncomfortably moist and humid, and his spine was bent forward in a very painful manner. Growling, he prodded gently at the sides of his enclosure, testing it's strength. 

"I would not do that if I were you."

His head shot up and he scanned the water, trying to crane his neck in his cramped confines to look behind him and to the sides. His attacker soon became apparent, however, as a humanoid figure swam in front of him. At first he thought it to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, but upon closer inspection he noticed that, while her upper half was human, her lower seemed to be the powerful tale of a serpent. Long green hair flowed from her head, encircling her body in a fashion nothing short of heavenly, all held back by an intricate tiara, encrusted with a deep, blue stone.

"And why not?" hissed Miroku, responding to her previous statement after only a brief pause of taking in her features.

"Because the moment you pop that bubble," an evil glint appeared in her eye, "the water pressure will crush you. But please, go ahead… I always enjoy watching you humans implode, the way your skull crushes is quite comical."

With a quick intake of breath Miroku drew in his arms instantly, making sure his elbows were no longer pressed up against the already-straining walls of his orb prison. Wracking is mind for a solution, he quickly pulled up a topic with which to stall for some time.

"You said you wanted revenge," he said, forcing his voice to calm, "for what, may I ask?"

"You don't know?" she grinned. "Well, maybe I won't tell you then… humans are always fun to watch when they are desperate…"

"Women…" muttered Miroku muttered in an undertone.

"What?" snapped his captor.

"Nothing. Just tell me what I did to anger you."

The woman let out a "hmph" and crossed her arms indignantly. "You sent my brother to the pits of hell," she growled.

"Possibly," Miroku smirked, adopting his smart-aleck voice, "I kill a lot of demons."

His attacker seemed to contemplate killing him at that moment, but then apparently decided better of it. "Shut up," she said simply.

"Well, if he attacked us, I would say he probably deserved it." Miroku knew he was pushing his luck, but he let his anger get the better of him and continued. "Tell me, who was this brother of yours, I was under the impression demons didn't give a shit about their families."

"I thought I told you to shut up!" She snarled. For a long time there was silence, but then the demon lady flung her hair over her shoulder and stuck her nose in the air. "If you must know, he was a wind demon, and fought with a big umbrella."

Miroku smirked, this demon seemed to have troubles holding her tongue. "Ah yes, Kaze, I believe. So am I to assume that you are to be called Mizu? You seem to be at home in the water."

The woman shot him a death glare. "If I must be called something, I suppose that would be most fitting."

"Okay then Mizu, tell me, why are you holding me down here?" Miroku asked smugly, confident she would not be able to keep her mouth shut.

"I could just as easily kill you now," she huffed, "butyou are not my master's prime target. He says nothing can overpower your hanyou friend Inuyasha when he is enraged, and that he must go first. Master says he's the only real threat."

Miroku's eye widened at this new information. So they were operation under a master… "Who is your master?" he asked. He add already thought of a way to escape, but something told him this was crucial information.

The demon's face seemed to glow with pride at the thought of her master. "My master is a great demon, the greatest demon who ever lived."

"Naraku?"

The woman grimaced slightly. "No you fool! Whoever this Naraku is, he does not hold a candle to my master, Master will destroy the world."

Miroku gasped slightly. "I see, so that is you master. Well then, you must realize you have as much to lose by your master's success as anyone."

"No, I don't, for you see, I am already dead," she grinned.

Miroku's brow furrowed slightly. _So she's already dead… then what does she have to gain by working for her master? Demon's don't take orders just for the hell of it…_

"But how does that make any sort of difference?" he asked.

"Master's power's work by destroying every living creature on the planet. Since we are already dead, the world will belong to us and our master."

"I see, so it must be better than hell, where I'm sure you'd be heading."

"And where you sent my brother," she snorted. "But once I capture Inuyasha, I'll have much joy in killing you… slowly."

Miroku smirked. "I'm afraid I can't let that happen, too much to live for, you see. So, if you have no complaints, I'll be leaving now."

With a quick chant he threw up a barrier around himself. The bubble burst instantly, and with a quick jerk, the water took hold of him and he was shooting upwards. As he sped towards the surface, he turned to see the demon in hot pursuit, but she was losing ground… erm, water, quickly.

With a great splash he broke the surface, but continued to shoot upwards (like when you push a beach ball underwater). His barrier flickered slightly, and disintegrated. His body reached a peak, and then began to fall again. Arms flailing, he begrudgingly noticed his attacker waiting for him on the surface, a three-pronged trident held in her hands. If the collision with the water didn't kill him, she certainly would.

Just when he thought it was too late for him, two arms circled him. Looking down in surprise, he saw that he was being _carried_ across the water! He only knew one person fast enough to possibly run over the water.

"Koga?" he asked.

"Hmph, glad you recognized me this time monk," came the unmistakable sarcasm.

Koga ran back onto the land, and sat Miroku onto the firm ground. His legs weak, Miroku fell forward onto his hands, breathing deeply. When he finally found his strength he stood up and extended a hand towards Koga. "Thank you."

Koga contemplated taking his hand, but then turned away. "I was just conscious enough to see you save my ass back there in the cave, don't expect me to do it gain."

Miroku didn't feel the need to remind him that Koga had also saved him from a baby demon before he had destroyed the mother.

"So… where are we?" he asked.

"The eastern ocean," answered Koga.

Miroku sighed. He had been dragged that far through the river?

"I guess I should head back to my companions," Miroku grunted, he was in for quite a walk.

"No need. They're on their way. I ran into them and told them what happened to you. I had been coming to check on Kagome and just caught a glimpse of you being dragged into the water."

"Well, I guess this is the second time today I have to thank you."

Koga shrugged. "They asked."

Miroku nodded.

"Hell, here they come now," Koga said indifferently, his nose upturned in the air.

Miroku turned and looked over the treetops to see Kirara flying towards them. She landed at about the same time Inuyasha came charging out of the forest, Kagome riding piggy-back. Sango promptly hopped off Kirara (a little dizzily), and stumbled over to Miroku, where her legs gave out and she fell against his chest.

"If you ever get abducted again, I'm going to kill you," she hissed from against his body.

Miroku chuckled nervously and pushed her to her feet, making sure was steady before letting go of her. "You're feeling better I take it?" he asked.

She nodded. "Kagome gave me some medicine from her time. What do you call it again, ass-pin?"

"Aspirin," corrected Kagome, who seemed to be holding in a laugh.

"Aww, such a pretty reunion, to bad you'll be saying goodbye to each other very soon!"

In unison, they turned towards the ocean, where they felt quite displeased to see the water demon speeding towards them.

"You guys ready for a fight?" smirked Koga.

"We're always ready ya mangy wolf!" answered Inuyasha, who, for the first time in his life did not seem displeased by his presence.

"Well alright then, let's get this over with."

And so the fight began.

* * *

**End Chapter 10

* * *

**

There, next chapter will be the fight. Anyway, side note: I'm starting a side project. It's humor/parody story that mocks all those Inuyasha stories set in modern times with the characters in school. Look out for that.

Please Review!


	12. Ch 11: Waves of Death!

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I'm glad I don't own Inuyasha. Breaks into tears.

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Oh my god, I'm so sorry you guys. School started and it's been incredibly hectic... please don't hate me! I'm planning on getting the next chapter next week for sure. I'm so sorry! I don't want to dissapoint any of you... 

Chippy: Thas sweet! Welcome to FanFiction!

xXSpoiledSangoXx: Wow... thanks so much! I wouldn't mind a swarm of e-mails though, they make me happy. Weeeee!(Runs around in circles)

Ninalee-chan: Yes, poor Miroku... but I have a reason! What is it? Heehee... you'll just have to wait and find out! EEEEVVVVIIIILLLL!

Moonyme: You are a happy person, aren't you? Happy? HAPPY! DAMN YOU! BE HAAAAPPPPPPPPYYYYYY! Oh wait... you really are. Sweet.

Veglma: Maybe. How should I know? I'm just the author. Oh... right.

Medlii: Don't worry, he'll be back. I give a reason why he ain't here right now... have a cookie! (Shoves big-ass cookie down Medlii's throat.) Enjoy!

Okay guys, please don't hate me too much... I'm sorry. Anyway, here there be chapters!

* * *

**Chapter 11: Waves of Death!**

Miroku was nearly thankful when the battle actually began. His limbs were stiff and sore after the long period of inactivity, and he was looking forward to actually being able to stretch them out. Not that he didn't have his worries… his spiritual powers were still greatly decreased, and the space of battle was confined to the small strip of beach they stood on, making it extremely dangerous to the others if he were to use his Kazaana. There was the odd demon he had met earlier, but he was unwilling to risk shattering his necklace again, for fear of a single bead becoming lost in the sand and swept out to shore. Once his body was no longer able to handle the possession and the demon was once more repressed he would be, essentially, dead weight. And so, when the water demon charged straight onto the shore, he was left to his hands. He had never fought without the shakujou or his spiritual powers before, and he was incredibly wary.

Koga, in his usual style, was the first to actually assault the demon, launchin a whirlwind of kicks which all missed their target. Inuyasha, not to be outdone by his biggest rival, darted after him, the Tetsusaiga drawn and his face etched with concentration. Sango, who was at a lack for the Hiraikotsu, seemed too pause a moment, but then drew her sword and entered the fray, Kirara following.

Miroku glanced over at Kagome. Right now, they were the most vulnerable of the group, of course, excluding Shippo. Miroku for his reasons, and Kagome for the fact she was not properly combat trained, and her bow and arrows, much like the shakujou and Hiraikotsu, had been lost in Kaze's whirlwind.

The battle against Mizu seemed to be going well. She was having trouble handling the constant, quick attacks of Sango, Koga, and Inuyasha. Every now and then a bright red, shining gash would appear on her previously flawless body. But as fast as they had gained the advantage the tide was turned. Koga suddenly in mid-attack and fell to the ground in a heap.

"What's going on?" asked Kagome.

"I don't know…" Miroku answered, trying to figure out just how Koga had been hit.

They rushed forward to see what went on, and what they saw made them gasp. Koga's skin was dark and cracked, blooding oozing out everywhere, his eyes were bloodshot and deep in his face, which was sunken obscenely.

"Water…" he mumbled, causing new cracks to open up in his skin on the corners of his mouth.

Kagome winced at the sight, but Miroku wasted no time in scooping up the wolf demon in his arms and carrying him into the water, well away from the battle. Immediately his skin became lighter and less papery and he sat up, holding his head.

"What happened?" asked Miroku.

"I… I don't know," growled Koga, "it was like every ounce of water was drained from my body…" He still was very weak, his body bleeding profusely.

"Stay here," muttered Miroku, "I'm gonna go warn the others."

Koga, too weak to protest, nodded, and Miroku took off once more.

"SANGO! INUYASHA! Be careful! She can suck the water from your body!"

"Shut up Monk!" growled the demon, her hands turning on him. Immediately Miroku felt himself go incredibly thirsty, and his inside swelled in pain as all water seemed to drained from them.

"Not today!" he gasped, and immediately he threw up a barrier, cutting off the water demon's attack on him. With a sigh of relief he felt all the water return throughout his body.

Miroku had finally discovered a purpose in the battle, as every time the demon would try to suck the water out of one of his companions, he would be there to put up a barrier around them. But with his weakened spiritual powers, his energy was draining quickly. Thankfully, however, Mizu seemed to become frustrated quicker. She was losing and she knew it. Her body was covered in gashes and she was breathing heavily, (not to mention the fact that she was missing an arm. Miroku wasn't sure, but he had the idea it probably smarted a bit). And it wasn't long before Koga was back in the fray too, further annoying the already pissed demon.

"Damn! That's it! I didn't want to do this, but you fools have pushed me to the limit!" she hissed in between attacks. With a scream, her attackers were thrown back from her body. They watched in horror as a incredibly powerful surge of energy shot from her body. "Just try to survive this!"

For the longest time nothing seemed to happen. The Inu-taichi looked around in confusion, just trying to figure out what was going on. And then, very slowly, the water on the beach began to recede.

"What's going on?" growled Inuyasha.

Kagome's eyes widened in horror. "I read about this in my science book once! When the water recedes it means there's a tsunami on it's way!"

At her words, Mizu began to cackle maniacally. "Then you must know that there is no escape for you!" Just as she said this a gigantic wall of water appeared over the horizon behind her. Kagome screamed.

"What do we do?" Sango asked, coming up next to Miroku.

"I… I don't know…" muttered Miroku, but then the idea struck him. It was incredibly dangerous, but… "get out of here."

"What?" asked Sango.

"I told you, get everyone out of here. I have a plan."

"But…"

"Trust me, I'll be fine, I just need the beach clear. GO!"

Sango seemed taken aback for a moment, but then nodded. Calling to Kirara, she was swept off her feet. Miroku turned for a moment to see Inuyasha carrying Kagome off, and a small twister speeding away. _Good, _he thought, _now I'm ready._

"What's wrong, monk? Accepting your death?" taunted the demon.

Miroku remained silent. The tidal wave approached quickly as he stared it down.

"It's over," cackled the demon.

"Not so fast," smirked Miroku.

Just as it seemed the water was sure to hit him, he tugged the beads off his right hand, revealing the cursed Kazaana.

"Wha- What's going on?" stammered Mizu as she was dragged forward.

"You're death…" hissed Miroku (cheesy, I know).

As the water struck land, it was immediately absorbed into the Kazaana, sweeping in Mizu with it. As more and more water surged forward, Miroku struggled to keep his footing. But, finally, the last of the water was gone, and, collapsing to his knees, Miroku sealed the tunnel. He had done it, he had stopped the wave. As a hand came to rest on his shoulder, he looked up to see Sango.

"I thought I told you to leave."

"Yes, but you also told me to trust you, and I trust you more than I want to leave you."

Miroku chuckled, then stood up and hopped on Kirara back. He had never thought he'd be so happy to leave the ocean.

* * *

That night (or, rather, resting period, as it was still impossible to separate night from day), after Koga had left for his tribe, they sat around the campfire and Miroku had told them the rest the story of what Mizu had told him. 

"So how many more of these guys you think there are?" grunted Inuyasha.

"Well, it's hard to tell after only two battles," Miroku said, "but I would assume there are four."

"Four? How do you figure?" asked Sango.

"Well, at least so far, our enemies seem to be following the elements."

"What? But wind isn't an element," spoke up Kagome.

"The element system we tend to follow is the Chinese one. The Chinese system of the elements contains five, Wood, Metal, Fire, Water, and Earth. However, to the far west of China, there is a different system, it contains four, those being Wind, Water, Earth, and Fire."

"That's crazy," grumbled Inuyasha.

"So," said Kagome, ignoring him, "that leaves Earth and Fire, right?"

"Yes, but I could be completely wrong about this whole thing…"

"Oh, well, it's too late to stay up wondering," yawned Kagome, "I'm going to bed." She set up her sleeping bag about ten feet away. Shippo was quick to bound over and snuggle up to his surrogate mother.

Inuyasha let out a slight mumble of agreement, and started searching for a suitable tree.

"Aren't you going to bed, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked.

"I'm… not tired," he lied.

"Yes you are, your so tired you can't even lie properly. Come on, you've had a hard past couple of hours."

"Which is exactly what I've been wondering about. Don't you find it odd… that I always seem to be found first? That I'm always the one taken?"

"What do mean?"

"I mean the demon at the inn, and then Mizu… why me? It's almost like I'm attracting them or something. And because of this damn necklace I can barely fight back!" he growled, tugging gently on the string of beads around his neck.

"But you've survived haven't you? You're not powerless, Houshi-sama, you can fight back!"

Miroku stared at her for a second, but then his eyes were cast back down to the fire. He sighed. "But for how long?"

Sango didn't know what to say. He wasn't like this often, but whenever Miroku got into one of his fatalistic states of mind, it bothered Sango deeply. This Miroku scared her. Not just because it was such a contrast to his usual attitude, but because it also made he acknowledge just how close Miroku was to death, a fact which she liked to push as far back in her mind as possible. She knew she could never understand Miroku's feelings. She had lost her family, but that was in the past, it had come and passed. But Miroku had to wake up each day wondering whether it would be his last. Miroku, the pervert, the comic relief, had more conflicting emotions to hide than any of them.

* * *

"We have a problem brother." 

"What is it?"

"The monk… he absorbed sister's body, how are you to gain her powers?"

"It is not a problem. Here, use this."

"What is it?"

"It is a shard of what they call the Shikon no tama."

"It has great power… what am I to do with it?"

"When the monk uses his power, throw it in."

"… What will it do?"

"You shall see, my kin, you shall see."

* * *

**End Chapter 11** **

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**

Dun Dun Dun! What's going on here? Conspiricy? I think so! Please review, should have next chapter up next week... gulp... hopefully.


	13. Ch 12: Sango the Hypocrite

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I did a quick calculation... my chances of owning Inuyasha are one to 3,098,789,345,697,304,095,388,321. In other words, I don't own it.

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Yay! I said it would be up in a week, and I did it! Yeehaw! This is kinda a fun chapter, just togive thema break from the battling (like all good heros need). It's... odd to say the least. The first part is sort of an odd... fluffy rhing, where Sango does something she never thought she'd ever do. Anyway, on to reviews.

mirsan4ever: Thank you! I always like to know when people enjoy my work!

Miroku's Pet Vixen: Teehee, yes I am. And I like your story very much! Keep writing!

xXSpoiled SangoXx: Oh, come now, I'm sure if you put your mind to it... anyway, you'll find out... next chapter. Sorry.

Veglma: I never said Earth was next... but who knows?

moonyme: Ooo... someone's eager! That's good though!

Siren66: Mmm... I see... not something to look forward to, is it? Oh well, keep yer head high, my friend. Higher. Higher! HIGHER! crack! uh-oh... slinks away.

ninalee-chan: Inuyasha doesn't like to be upstaged by anybody, but he better get used to it. This is Miroku's story! Kinda.

medlii: I know... the missing weapons is troublesome for me, as some of the characters can't really fight without them, but they'll get them soon... yes they will...

Anyway... I think this chapter some people might find offensive... but if you do, please don't kill me. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12: Sango the Hypocrite**

After what seemed to be a very short nap, Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and Kagome were ever so rudely awaken by a hanyou quite anxious to get a move on (and seemingly completely oblivious to how what he had done was wrong). Thankfully, it had only taken a little convincing (and a lot of _osuwari's_) from Kagome to show him that eating breakfast and getting washed up might be a better alternative.

It had been while scouting the area that Inuyasha had come across a hot springs. While it seemed trivial to him, the others had been quite pleased to know that they had a chance to clean off the grimy mixture of sweat, dirt, and blood that was currently slimed and crusted across their bodies.

Kagome had insisted that she and Sango get cleaned up first, seeming as they were the most eager, and that Kagome figured she could start making their breakfast when they got back. Inuyasha had nodded slightly, and Miroku (much to Kagome and Sango's pleasure), was finally showing signs of the tiring past couple of days and decided to skip the opportunity for perversion and catch whatever sleep he could before they returned.

Thankfully for Miroku, Kagome and Sango decided to take their time in the springs, savoring for as long as they could. Who knew when they would get another chance to bathe? Once they were finished they returned to the campsite to find a disgruntled Inuyasha, and a still sleeping Miroku, who Sango promptly woke up. The two then made their way to the springs, Miroku yawning while trying his hardest to drain out the sound of Inuyasha's grumblings.

After watching them leave, Sango turned to Kagome to find her using a stick to prod at the remains of the last night's fire.

"I don't think we have enough wood left to cook the food," she said.

"But I'm hhhhuuuuuunnnnngggggrrrrrrryyyyy!" moaned Shippo.

"I know," she said smiling at the kitsune, "Sango, would mind collecting wood while I get the food ready?"

"Of course not," Sango smiled, "I'll be back soon."

She walked off into the woods, her eyes scanning the ground for suitable sticks and logs, and it wasn't long before she had collected a satisfactory bundle. As she walked back to the campsite she was surprised to here a splash. One hand cautiously made it's way to her sword, at least until she heard Miroku's voice ring out through the forest.

"Dammit, Inuyasha! You got my pants wet!"

Sango realized she must've strayed rather close to the springs. The sharp voice of Inuyasha could then be heard.

"So what?"

"Well what am I supposed to wear?"

"Feh, you're a pervert, I'm sure you wouldn't mind going in the nude." Inuyasha's voice had a slightly mocking tone.

Sango wanted to leave, but something held her in her place. She suddenly found thoughts racing through her head of how easy if would to sneak in and steal a glace before anyone found out…

She shook her head violently. "Dammit Sango," she said to herself, "stop thinking those thoughts… you're not a pervert like Houshi-sama."

But a gentle pressure was building up just below her heart, as if someone was squeezing her stomach, and it pulled her to do what she never dreamed. It was the same pressure that she got whenever Miroku groped her, the slight feeling that just maybe, deep in her being, she enjoyed it. And this pressure Sango was finding harder and harder to deny.

"I'll get caught, they'll see me…"

_Your trained in stealth… no they won't,_ answered the feeling inside her.

"But surely Inuyasha will smell me."

As if on cue, Inuyasha's voice came calling again. "Shit, Miroku. Why you got to use that soap of Kagome's, I can never smell anything else when you got that stuff."

And that was all it took. Gradually, the pressure in Sango's gut spread throughout her body, causing a tingling sensation to come over her. She could do it, just sneak in, take a peak at Miroku, and leave. She wouldn't be caught, and after that, she'd never have to do it again, right?

With ninja-like stealth she crept towards the bushes surrounding the springs. Grabbing a tree branch she swung herself up in the tree, finding a suitable perch. She found it near the top. It gave her a perfect view, but it had enough branches that Inuyasha and Miroku would have to look hard to discern her from the rest of the tree.

Looking down, she noticed Inuyasha sitting against one wall, his back to her. Miroku sat across from him, the water up to the bottom of his chest. She knew it was wrong, she knew she should leave, but something held her there, glued to the tree trunk, eyes fixed on the monk that she often criticized for doing the very same thing.

After about fifteen minute's however, the leg tucked under her body was beginning to ache something horrible. Gradually she shifted her weight to the other foot, inadvertently brushing up against a tree branch. Inuyasha's ears perked. With a small gasp Sango sucked in her breath and held it.

"Who's there?" asked the dog demon, eyes scanning the woods, ears twitching in an attempt to catch more sound.

"Did you hear something, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah… in this tree behind me, probably just a monkey or something…"

"But almost all the animals fled south… I'd best check it out."

Miroku stood up.

Sango fell out of the tree.

Blushing madly, she scrambled to her feet and, scooping up the twigs in her arms ran as fast as she could back to the camp. It was quite a scene for Kagome when Sango darted into the clearing, clothes dirtied, hair full of twigs, and apparently out off breath. Thankfully the red on her face was mistaken for a flush from her run.

"Sango? Something happen?"

"No, no, nothing at all," said Sango nervously as she attempted to straighten her skirt.

"Okay…" Kagome said unconvincingly.

Later that day, as they all sat around the fire eating, Sango sat aside in deep contemplation. What had driven her to do that? At the time it had seemed like a good idea, but now it seemed stupid, pointless, and dare she say it… perverted. She felt incredibly dirty.

_C'mon, Sango, it's not like the monk never did it_, she told herself, _but then again… I'm not the monk._

Sighing slightly, Sango decided that the next time she caught him spying on her, she might just have to slap him a little less hard.

After that brief interlude, the journey was on once more. As they continued northward, the red light kept growing lighter, but there was also another effect. It was almost like a horizon, one of the most beautiful any of them had ever seen.

"Are you sure were headed the right way?" asked Shippo, from Miroku's shoulder. "That sure doesn't seem like a bad place…"

"Sometimes the places that seem the most innocent… are in truth the most dangerous," Miroku answered grimly.

"Like the eye of a storm?" asked Sango, casting him a glance.

He nodded. "Exactly. While the eye maybe a brief oasis… you're still surrounded on all sides. You're trapped. We're walking into a death-zone. I suspect… that whatever is causing this… is in the eye. The origin. It provides it with safety, from it's own powers and from those who can't reach it."

"I don't like this," groaned Kagome.

"Who would?" snorted Inuyasha. "Either way, I can handle it."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

The northern lands of Japan were full of many hills, further annoying their journey. But as they came over a particularly large hill, they were shocked to see…

"A village!" gasped Kagome.

"You're right," said Sango in an amazed tone, "and it's inhabited! Look… there are candles lit!"

They all but ran down the hill. Well… except for Inuyasha, who, a quarter of the way down, tripped over his own feet and ended up becoming a tumbling, cursing, enraged hanyou of doom as he rolled comically down the hill and lie in a crumpled heap at the bottom. It made their day… once Kagome found out he was okay, that is… hell, who am I kiddin', they didn't give a damn. They were laughing like crazy.

And so they made their way through the village in good humor, excluding Inuyasha of course. The Inn seemed to have been closed for the night, but Inuyasha, who was still muttering obscenities, knocked on the door so hard that he practically knocked it over. They were met by an extremely aged-looking woman, who gave Inuyasha a completely venomous look before steeping aside and letting the group in.

"What're ye doing here?" she hissed.

"We are but travelers," said Miroku as he stepped up, "but I noticed, while passing, that this in seems to have a strong demonic aura, for a nominal fee…"

"I don't but that hocus pocus crap," snapped the old Woman, "besides, I have bigger things to worry about than a coupla rat demons. You have no idea what you got yerselves into by stepping into this village…"

"We're just passing through…" spoke up Kagome.

"It don't matter," muttered the Innkeeper grimly, "once you come in… you can never go out."

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**End Chapter 12

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**Hmm... what's up with the village? Why can't they leave? How much longer to the end of the world? Will Sango go pervert too? No.

Please Review!


	14. Ch 13: The Palace of Fire

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha... well, let's just say Inuyasha wouldn't be to happy about that. (Evil laughter, whip cracks)

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Hi everybody! I'm back with another chapter, and relatively, it's a long one! I figure this story will continue on for about... 6-7 more chapters or so... but I want to hurry up, 'cause I have a whole 'nother story ready to go, but I don't want to dedicate too much time to it yet. I'm already behind on the time I wanted to finish this story... but don't worry, I won't make it feel rushed. Anyway, onto my lovely reviewers! 

Sashi: Well, at this point, giving up on the story isn't really an option. Of course I'll keep writing!

Veglma: Yah, I mean... everybody's got a bit of a pervert in them, it's just a matter of controlling it. And I think Sango's done a pretty good job of that so far, but, hey, she's gotta slip sometime!

Ninalee-chan: Well, technically her hair is down. :-P Miroku isn't always gonna be the one to save the day, you know.

moonyme: As I said to Veglma, everyone's a pervert. Some just do a better job at controlling it. Hell, if it weren't for the pervert in me, I never would have written that chapter!

medlii: He didn't see hear, and he probably figured the noises were just a monkey or something.

Miroku's Pet Vixen: Yeah, I love those too. As long as they don't put her too far out of character. She needs to loosen up... she's constantly denying that she denies she's in denial.

xXSpoiled SangoXx: If you tell yourself you have no creativity you never will, 'cause you'll think to hard about being creative. Everybody can be creative once you realize that. You were covering your eyes in embarassment, even though you were reading, eh? Well, now I don't know what to think. (See! What you said was creative! It comes naturally, don't think to hard!)

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers! Heh, anyway, here's the chapter!

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**Chapter 13: The Palace of Fire**

The gang stared at the old woman for what seemed like an hour, as if still trying to process what she had just said. Miroku was the first to speak, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"What do mean by that?" he asked sternly.

"Do I need to spell it out for ya?" sighed the woman, "You come in, you don't leave. If there's a simpler way to put it, please inform me, because I can't think of one."

"Yes, we understand! But why?" Miroku grabbed the woman's shoulders and shook her quite violently, showing an impatience he rarely did.

"Careful sonny, or you'll snap these bones. I ain't young you know…" her voice held so much power Miroku let go immediately as if she had been heated iron.

"Please… tell us why we can't leave," Miroku said, his voice subdued.

"That's better," grinned the lady, "but first things first, one does not share information with strangers. I, am Aki. Now if you would be so kind as to tell me your names…"

I," Miroku said, thrusting a thumb at his chest," am Miroku. That is Kagome, Sango, Shippo, and the ugly one there is Inuyasha."

Inuyasha growled.

"I see," replied Aki, looking around his body.

"Listen lady," snarled Inuyasha, pushing past Miroku, "just tell us why we can't leave."

Aki sighed, "You are quite the ugly one aren't you?"

"No he isn't!" spouted Kagome, who, realizing what she said, brought to hands to her mouth, blushing a deep crimson. The Inu-taichi stared at her for a few moments before shaking off that surprise and turning back to Aki.

"The reason you cannot leave," she began raising a finger, "is not by my own doing, nor by that of any of the villagers trapped here, rather by…"

But she was interrupted once more by a loud knock at the door.

"Shit," she swore, "he's here. Listen the for of you need to hide. That wall there is a fake… slide it open and stay there. Make no noise or he'll hear you."

"Who'll hear us?" Inuyasha demanded

"Hush you brute! There's no time to explain! Now hide!".

"Listen, lady, I ain't goin' nowhere 'til I get some answers!"

And so it was destined that Inuyasha was to receive a quick round of "osuwari"'s before being dragged back into the room, moaning in agony.

Inside the cramped space, each member of the gang struggled to find a good place to press their ear up against the thin wall in an attempt to hear what was going on.

They heard the slight shuffling of Aki's feet, and then the slight swoosh as the door was pushed open.

"What do you want?" came the old woman's sharp voice.

"Heh, good to see you old hag, still as feisty as ever I see?" The voice was light and joking, but there was no mistaking the undertone of pure malevolence. "Just checking in, so, any knew visitors today?"

A slight creek of floorboards suggested the other's entrance.

"No, thanks to you. Who would come up here in these times? Yer driving away all me business I tell you?"

"That is not my problem. Now listen hag, I would kill you right now if I had the choice, but you are critical to my plans. For that reason I'm letting you off easy today. But, if you are hiding anyone from my, trust me, I will find out, and your purpose will be over. Now, I trust you have a good night, sleep well." More floorboards creaking, the sound of a door sliding closed.

The sudden change in the tone of his voice seemed to surprise all of the Inu-taichi, who were now glancing at each other in confusion. Then, suddenly, they were all falling forward as the door slid out from in front of them. As they lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, Aki's voice rang out.

"Couldn't help listening in, I see?"

They all quickly shot to their feet and bowed their heads in apology…

All them, except Inuyasha of course, who merely grunted, "What was that all about?"

"That," said Aki, "is the reason you cannot leave. His name is Hi."

"Fire…" mouthed Kagome with a shocked expression.

Aki nodded. "He showed up shortly after the skies darkened. He told us we must not leave, he wouldn't let us. Of course there were those who refused… of them nothing remains but charred bones… anyway, he told us there would be a group of travelers who would pass through here at some time and that they would not be able to resist stopping at an occupied town…"

"Oh my!" said Kagome, "That's why Kaze sent us in this direction! He knew he was doomed and wanted to push us towards someone else who could defeat us! Mizu too… when she took Miroku!"

"I see," mumbled Aki. "Where was I? Oh, yes. He told us that if they shall ever pass through to report directly to him, and that he would deal with them, then we would be free. May I assume you are these travelers?"

"Most likely," said Miroku.

"But, why didn't you turn us in?" asked Sango.

"I am not fool enough to know that when freedom is granted, it will not last for long. And I figure, if you wants you so bad, he obviously fears you… and that means you can defeat him."

"You are truly wise beyond your years," Miroku said in awe.

"And that's saying something," muttered Inuyasha, eyeing the decrepit woman. Little did he know that said decrepit woman could throw a mean knuckle punch. Or that Kagome would sit him. Or that Miroku would give him a good whack on the upside of that head. Or that the author would feel such joy in subjecting him to these things.

"Ughhh…" he groaned from his own personal 3-foot deep hole in the floor.

"Oh, dear, sorry about the floor," apologized Kagome.

"Think naught of it. It was quite fun."

(Do you enjoy putting Inuyasha through various forms of pain, torture, and/or humiliation? Tired of getting flamed by rabid Inuyasha-lovers? Then the Inu-basher 3000 is for you! Guaranteed to stop more flames than the robe of the Fire Rat! Simply strap it on and watch the flames repel from your indestructible shield as you laugh at the flamer's furious faces!)

After a brief period of laughter at the hanyou's expense, it was unanimously decided that it was once more time to act like adults and get down to business.

"So… what do we do?" asked Miroku.

"Okay… now listen close, Hi is currently holed up in the lord's palace. Little does he know, however, there is a secret passage leading there from this very inn. The lord made it in case he should ever need to escape quickly from the palace. I suggest you take this passage and sneak up on him right under his very nose."

"Yes… that seems like a plan," said Sango, "where is the tunnel?"

"I shall lead you through it. There are many fake paths. Only I and the Lord know the true way. One false turn will lead to certain doom."

"Okay."

"Well, then, let's stop talking and get going!" said Inuyasha, pulling himself out of his hole.

"Right," nodded Aki.

She led them to the very back of the inn, grabbing and lighting a torch along the way. Once there, she began tapping at floor boards.

"Let's see… four from the back… thirty six from the left… Ah! Here it is!" Sticking her bony fingers into a small crack between to boards, she lifted it up, and with it, many more floorboards rose, leaving a considerable hole in the floor. Without so much as a pause she nimbly lowered herself with flexibility uncommon of such and old woman. As the others stared shocked at the hole, her strong voice rang out, "Are you coming or not?" Shaken out of their stupor, they followed Aki into the tunnel.

They came face to face with her, the light of the torch flickering idly over every line of her face, making her look even older. "Follow me."

And so they did, winding through the many tunnels, stopping occasionally as Taki muttered to herself, before finally deciding on a path and setting off in that direction. Every now and then they would turn into a path leading the opposite direction. Miroku only assumed it was this way so that the tunnel system would be effective both ways, to and from the castle.

At one point they came across a pile of fire-burnt bones lying against the wall.

"Wha-what is that?" Shippo exclaimed.

"That… would be the lord," said Aki grimly. "Well, at least we know we are going the right way." They continued forward, each casting nervous glances back at the blackened bones that were once a person as they passed.

Finally they came to a wall of what seemed to be solid wood, but with a touch by Aki it slid to the side,

"There, we are in the basement of the palace. Come, he's most likely in the throne room."

"No," said Miroku, "it's dangerous, you must go back."

'That I cannot do."

"Why not?"

"This is my town boy, and that was my lord. It is not only my duty, but my right, to protect it. Now, come, every second we stand here is another second he has to discover our arrival."

She set off in front of them, her steps strong, her face determined. Miroku turned to Sango, who shrugged her shoulders, and they followed. On the way through one of the halls Miroku stopped them.

"Wait a minute…" he trailed to the side and threw open one of the doors.

"Oh, my lord!" gasped Sango.

The room was packed ceiling high with weaponry. Swords, axes, spears, every size and shape of weapon was present.

"So what?" asked Inuyasha. "They guy collects weapons."

But Miroku was already rummaging through the mass, only slowing down when he cut himself lightly on the blade of a sword.

"It's around here somewhere," said Miroku, "I can just feel it!"

Finally he came up with something clutched tightly in his hands, a victorious smirk across his face.

"It's his shakujou!" gasped Kagome in surprise.

"You don't think…" started Sango, but was cut off in mid-sentence. The Hiraikotsu's humongous form was impossible to mistake among the mountain of weapons. With a gasp of shock she hurried forward to collect it. She was also able to scrounge up a rather un-weathered bow and half-full quiver of arrows for Kagome.

"Here, Aki-sama, take this, it might come in handy," said Miroku, handing the woman a shield nearly as large as her entire miniscule body.

"Thank you," she said, taking it. Miroku was surprised to see that she barely struggled under the weight of the gargantuan form.

"You are quite strong," he commented.

"A woman of my stature must protect herself, ne?" she asked, cracking a grin which revealed she was missing quite a few teeth.

Miroku nodded.

They were off again, this time at a slightly quickened pace, filled with much more confidence with the return of their weapons. Cautiously, they turned into the throne room. A single candle lit it, causing the other edges of the room to be black.

"What the," said Inuyasha, "there's no one here!"

"It would seem…" Miroku started, lowering his staff from it's defensive postion.

"Let's go then, he must be somewhere else."

Turning to leave, they walked towards the door. But just as they were about to step out, the door slammed shut in front of them.

With a gasp, Miroku spun around to see the candles flame shoot towards the ceiling…

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**End Chapter 13

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**

So concludes chapter 13! Next chapter will be up in a week (I hope!)

Please Review!


	15. Ch 14: Regurgitation

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: Got Inuyasha? 'Cause I sure don't.

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Oooohhhh... so tantalizingly close to 100 reviews... so... close... so to get ya'lls to review again...

DarkSlayer123: Woohoo! Yojimbo! I've never had a guard before! I feel like the president, 'cept I don't speak with southern accent!

goddesofwisdom: Unfortunatly, with school and all, that's quite difficult. But thanks!

Flower Kid: To the point, direct. Nice.

xXHyperactive Dork-assXx: Haha! Oh god... you changed your screen-name! It's... original to say the least. Post them! Seriously! Yay! I'm glad I can actually put some people in a good mood!

Tuf Stuf II-Henrika foreva-II: Don't worry, my name's got nuthin' to do with Inuyasha either... though your name takes a while to type! Thank you!

ninalee-chann: Well, that's me of course, Mr. Analytical. Woohoo! Someone thinks I'm funny!

Chippy: Aww... I liked chippy, oh well, I'm over it. Well, I look forward to your story!

Medlii: sobs No... one... has ever... been so nice to before! Here, have this car! It's invisible and erm... non-existant... but you never have to pay for any gas! Thanksa lot!

Ryuchan: Yes... evil cliffies... cliffies of doom! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kodocha08: Yay! Thanks a lot!

Veglma: Yeah... Ho is use sometimes, but I see that more often when it's ina word with something else. Hi seems to be the more generic term. Weird to think of someone as a pervert? I guess... I don't know, I think of everyone as a pervert. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Remember, I luvs you all! You're what has made this my most successful story yet!

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**Chapter 14: Regurgitation**

The flames of the candle licked at the ceiling which, oddly, was not lit ablaze. The light from the candle was painfully bright, and the entire group had to shield their eyes against the blinding flash.

"Dammit!" grunted Inuyasha, "Where is he?"

"Foolish half-demon, I am right here!"

The entire candlestick erupted in flames, and slowly, its silhouette transformed into a human shape. Instantly, the flames did down, and standing in front of them was demon, covered in sparkling red armor, his long black hair was tied up in a graceful ponytail at the base of his head, not stopping until it reached his feet. In one hand he held a spear, except In place of a metal blade, there was a burning flame.

"I see that you came across my weapons collection," he grinned, eyeing Sango's hiraikotsu. "Too bad, I rather liked that weapon; never seem one like it before. Oh well, once I destroy you it will be mine once again."

"We are not the ones who are gonna be destroyed!" spat Inuyasha, removing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

"Oh my!" Hi exclaimed, "Such a beautiful sword!"

Inuyasha drew back in surprise as Hi darted forward and began spinning around him, inspecting the Tetsusaiga from all sides.

"It transforms! And such a sharp blade! I must have this!"

"Get away you bastard!" yelled Inuyasha, swiping at the demon with the sword. Hi jumped back with ease, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"Well, Inuyasha," he grinned, "it seems I have an added incentive to kill you!"

"Shut up and let's fight!" Inuyasha growled, showing his usual patience (or lack thereof).

"Fine," Hi shrugged, "you do seem quite eager to be burnt to a crisp. Anyway, the sooner I will gain that sword." With a great arc, he swung his burning spear around him, and as he completed the circle, the flame at the tip shot forward, essentially transforming his weapon into a long-handled fiery whip.

Swiping it forward, he sent the flame towards Inuyasha, who raised his sword. The flames wrapped around the Tetsusaiga.

"Ha, how you gonna attack me now?" laughed Inuyasha.

Hi merely chuckled and tugged the hilt of his weapon, sending Inuyasha flying in towards him. As Inuyasha grew close, Hi landed a well-placed kick to his gut, sending him flying backwards through many paper walls.

"Ssssssshhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttt…" came the collective gasp of the remaining Inu-taichi.

"I'd say so, the fool was asking for it," said Hi, standing behind them and stretching his head over their shoulders.

"Ah!" they screamed scattering to the corners of the room.

"Huh?" asked Hi, looking around at them confusedly. "Oh, yes, we are fighting, aren't we?"

"Dammit! Of course we are!" yelled Inuyasha, shooting through the hole he had just created. "KAZE NO KIZU!"

The Tetsusaiga's attack connected with Hi, sending him flying backwards, through the wall and out onto the castle grounds.

"Heh, for a guy who talks big, he wasn't much of a problem," grunted Inuyasha. At that moment the whip shot through the window, wrapped around his leg, and dragged him out the opening too.

"Inuyasha!" yelled Kagome.

They all quickly hopped onto the transformed Kirara's back and flew through the opening after Inuyasha. They came to a land on the grounds to find Inuyasha and Hi already battling it out. Kagome quickly notched an arrow an shot it towards Hi, who dodged it easily, and still managed to block the oncoming attack of Inuyasha. Miroku, happy to have his shakujou in his hands once again, darted in to aid Inuyasha, slashing with the staff. Sango's hiraikotsu came flying into view, before spinning back to it's owners hand, having missed it's target. Unfortunately, Hi appeared to be a master of being a pain in the ass, and he continued to block and dodge attacks, and rarely going on the offensive himself.

_Damn, _thought Miroku, _what is he up to? He obviously has power, Inuyasha's little experience should prove that… so why isn't he using it?_

It became obvious after a while however, that much like Kaze, he was trying to tire them out. Not content to fall into the same trap twice, they lessened their attack. Hi sensed what they were doing, also, however, and he jumped back, returning his whip to spear form. From across the gardens of the palace they stared at each other. In this brief pause, it became clear who was winning. Inuyasha's side was breathing heavily and bruised, but Hi did not have a scratch on him.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Sango said.

"I know," answered Miroku, "but I have an idea. Everyone, get behind me, I'm using the Kazaana. I'll end this quickly."

The others nodded. The Kazaana had saved them many times before, they had no reason to doubt it.

Pointing his palm towards Hi, Miroku gripped the beads around his arm. "I'm sorry, but we can't waste anymore time on you." With a grunt, he let the gauntlet fly open. The winds of the Kazaana immediately took hold, but something add happened.

Hi actually jumped towards the Kazaana.

"What are you doing?" snarled Miroku.

"I've been waiting for you to use this power, monk!" Hi outstretched his hand revealing something clutched in his fingers. Before Miroku could figure out what it was, Hi hurled it forward.

As the object shot towards him, Miroku realized in horror what it was.

"A shard of the Shikon no Tama!" he gasped. He made a desperate attempt to close the Kazaana, but he was to slow, and the jewel was sucked in. Abruptly, the winds stopped.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked Kagome.

With a grunt of pain, Miroku collapsed to his knees. What was going on? Suddenly, his arm exploded in pain. It felt as though it were on fire, and Miroku looked to his fingers to see a repulsive purple color inching it's way up his arm.

"Houshi-sama!" yelled Sango.

"No! Stay back!" Miroku grunted. His arm was near splitting in pain now. It felt as though something were growing inside of it, trying to rip through his arm and escape. Then, in a great rush, the Kazaana's winds started up again, but this time, in the opposite direction. Everything Miroku had ever absorbed came flying out, the bodies of dead demons surged forward, smacking hard against the walls of the plaza. Miroku's other hand slowly inched forward to close the Kazaana, but not before two more things were released, a large mass of water, and the dead body of Mizu, the water demon. As he finally pulled the prayer beads over his hand, the Shikon shard tore out, coming to a clanking halt at Hi's feet.

"That worked better than I expected," grinned Hi, bending down to pick up the shard.

Sango rushed forward, "Houshi-sama, are you okay?"

"Somewhat… it feels like my arm just vomited though." His grin was full of pain, and his arm remained the sickly purple color.

"Dammit," growled Inuyasha, "now you're really dead!"

"Really?" asked Hi, "Well, we'll see who's dead when this whole place burns down!" With a grunt, he plunged the fiery tip of his spear into the ground. There was nothing but a slight sizzling. "What's going on?" Looking down, he realized the ground was completely soaked with water. "What is this?"

"All that water that Houshi-sama absorbed…" said Sango in awe.

"Heh, looks like you're at a disadvantage!" yelled Inuyasha, "Just try to stop me now!" Running forward he jumped into the air, Tetsusaiga raised above his head.

"Fool, the water is not in the air!" Pointing his spear at Inuyasha, a great flame erupted from it, completely surrounding the defenseless Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" screamed Kagome.

"I guess that sword is mine," chuckled Hi.

"Think again!" With a growl, Inuyasha descended from the fire ball, Tetsusaiga still ready to strike, "it takes more than a little fire to kill me! BAKURYUUHA!"

The spiraled attacked shot out from his sword, mixing with Hi's fire as it sped towards the wide-eyed demon.

"GGGAAAAHHHH!" yelled Hi as the attack struck him. His body was instantly charred beyond recognition, and he fell backward, dead.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Sango helped Miroku to his feet, though he soon assured her that he could walk on his own.

"I guess that's it, huh?" asked Sango.

"Yeah…" answered Miroku.

"Heh, he honestly thought he could hurt me with his pathetic fire?" grinned Inuyasha, turning to join them.

"Oh, please," Kagome blurted, "the only reason you lived was cause of the robe of the fire rat!"

"Was not!"

"Yes it was!"

"You don't know what you're talking about wench!"

"Inuyasha, OSUWARI!"

"Gah!"

WHAM!

"Wasn't she worried about him just a couple of seconds ago?" Sango asked.

"I guess they'll never learn…" Miroku sighed.

"Houshi-sama?"

"Yes, my dear Sango?"

"Why is your hand on my butt?"

"Oh dear, this cursed hand! It has been injured, but still it makes me!"

"HENTAI!"

SLAP!

Aki turned and sighed, "How could I have let my village be saved by such dimwits?"

"I know, they are pretty stupid, aren't they?" said Shippo happily as he rummaged through Kagome's backpack for some pocky she might have neglected to tell him about.

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That night, as the Inu-taichi slept soundly at Aki's inn, none of them noticed the demon that rode the winds into the castle, before proceeding to devour the bodies of Mizu and Hi, and then taking off northward once more, chuckling evilly.

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**End Chapter 14**

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Uh-oh! Now that this mysterious demon has gotten both Mizu AND Hi, this cannot be good! Who is this demon anyway? Continue to read and find out!

Review please!


	16. Ch 15: Walking Alone

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer- If I saidowned Inuyasha, that would be a lie... and lying is wrong.

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Okay, dudes, sorry 'bout the two week wait... homework and stuff. Plus, this chapter was very poorly planned and I had to completely strip it down and rebuild it. So, to make it up to you, I have an extra long chapter for you today! 3218 words! WOOT! Erm... anyway... on to reviews...

DarkAngel: Yes... because I've already reached 15 chapters so now I'm gonna drop it... ... that was sarcasm just so you know. I'm gonna carry on with this baby 'til the end.

Kodocha08: Yes, Taichigroup... I'll check that story out. Anyway, to answer your question... I have a very very basic understanding of Japanese and and okay vocabulary, so some of these words I know, others I have to look up. For example, Tsuchi in this chapter does not literally mean _earth, _it's better translated as _soil_.

Crystal Promise: I'm likin' the name! And yes, I do enjoy pickin' on Inuyasha, he just get angry so easily so it makes it fun!

Ninalee-chan: Gross title? You tell me you work the graveyard shift at a hospital trauma unit, and you find Regurgitation gross?

Sashi: Thank you!

Veglma: What does ($ mean? Everyone agrees with Aki!

Tuf Stuf: Thank you... I think I'll just type that. Yes, Shippo loves his pocky! PPPPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKYYYYYYYYY!

Deep Serenity: Oh well, you can't win 'em all I guess.

xXHyperactive Dork-assXx: Ah yes, Laziness, my best friend, my greatest enemy. It hurt, yes it did. Don't be afraid... MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Siren66: Oh man... I had a killer sugar high the other day... I ran straight into a cabinet and nearly gave myself a concussion...

Waves 100 review Banner snivvle Thank you all... so much! I would not be hear today if it weren't for all you. Oh... I'm so happy! SPecial thanks to DarkAngel for giving me my 100th... and 101st review. I luv all of you! 3 Anyway wipes tears away enough of my yakkin', here's chapter 15!

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**Chapter 15- Walking Alone**

The next day the Inu-taichi left Aki's inn re-supplied, refreshed, and in altogether good spirits. Miroku now wore a light white robe given to him by Aki, but his right arm was still in great pain, and he speculated that using the Kazaana was no longer an option, but that was only a small source of concern as having been reunited with their weapons lowered the chances that they would actually need to resort to that. They felt ready to take on the world, and if the last elemental mage happened to show up, they felt more ready than ever to bring it down. But still the thought nagged at their mind, exactly how much time did they have? Everyday the red glow to the north grew brighter, changing the landscape from an eternal night, to what appeared to be an eternal sunset that cast a hauntingly beautiful orange glow across the horizon.

And this, of course, was not going completely unnoticed.

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Ayame stood in the entrance of one of the caves, staring northward.

"I really don't like this," she mumbled, turning around and walking inside, where Koga sat, resting from his wounds he had obtained with what he said to be a water demon.

"I ought to check on Kagome," he said quietly, staring out the entrance.

"Don't you ever give up?" snapped Ayame, "Besides, you're injured."

Koga scoffed. "I'm fine, and I don't trust her with that mutt."

"What do you have against Inuyasha, anyway?"

"Lots of things!" Koga growled, "For one he… uh… look, I just don't trust him, okay?."

"Just what I thought, it's just a silly rivalry isn't it? You just don't like him 'cause Kagome likes him better than you."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Ayame sighed, "Whatever." Her eyes turned back towards the opening again. "I really wish I knew what was going on… I don't want to world to end."

"It's not gonna end."

"Everything else seems to think so. Everyday I see demons fleeing southward… well, except for this one odd one…"

"Odd one?"

"Yeah, it was really weird. It was maybe two days ago… I just looked down and there was this figure walking north… with long silver hair and carrying two swords. Whoever it was… it didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry."

Koga looked up, a slight amount of curiosity in his eyes. "You don't say…"

* * *

After many hours had passed, the Inu gang once more stopped to rest and eat some lunch. The initial burst of energy seemed to be wearing off after the uneventful time, and the mind set once more turned to that of a group of travelers, not necessarily expecting a fight for their life around every corner. At lunch it was decided that the bandages ought to be switched, a task to which Sango offered to do. As she unraveled the linen she let out a gasp.

"What's wrong?" asked Inuyasha.

"Look!" She moved aside, revealing Miroku's arm to her companions. Kagome and Shippo instantly looked as though they'd be sick, and even Inuyasha looked slightly perturbed by what he saw.

The color of Miroku's arm had lightened a bit, now creating and even more sickening shade, mixed in with a vomitous yellow. In addition, his arm was covered in disgusting boils, many of which had popped and were oozing a lumpy, purplish pus.

"That… can't be good," squeaked Kagome, looking slightly green.

"Actually, it's a good sign," Sango responded. "It means his arm is beginning to get rid of the poison created by the evil aura of the Shikon Jewel. What we should probably do is pop the remaining boils now, clean off the arm to prevent infection, and re-bandage it. If we leave them un-popped they will once we bandage them and then run the risk of something getting in them that shouldn't. Unfortunately… we can't get to the parts covered by that glove of his."

The others seemed slightly put off at the idea of popping the boils, so it was once again left to the strong-stomached Sango to perform the gut-curdling task, popping each of the boils and milking them of the vile liquid. Fortunately, Miroku's arm was still numb, and he only winced slightly as the pin intruded into the bulb and released a gush of pus.

"Sorry," Sango would mumble every time he gasped a bit.

"It's nothing," he finally said. "Thank you, though."

"Somebody had to do it."

"It could have been Inuyasha."

Sango shrugged, "He knows about as much about hygiene as he does about patience."

Miroku chuckled slightly as Sango began wrapping more linen around his arm.

"We'll check it again at dinner. I will warn you though, there will be more boils, and you're arm will probably be much more sensitive then."

"I don't mind Sango," his eyebrows rose slightly as he turned on a more flirtatious voice, "just so long you're the one holding onto my arm s it happens."

"Whatever," she said, rising to her feet.

Miroku sighed as he watched her walk away, "Will I ever win?"

And before you could say "No, you won't" the Inu-taichi were off again. But soon came the time where they legs once again grew weary and it was suggested they stop to sleep. All slightly disappointed at the lack of action, they bedded down as Kagome prepared dinner. Sango once again started the gruesome task of re-bandaging Miroku's arm, this time slightly more disturbed as Miroku had to clench his teeth hard in pain every time the sharp point punctured his skin.

"Thanks again for doing this Sango," Miroku spoke up as she completed a wrap and tucked one end of the linen in so it wouldn't come unraveled.

"Your welcome, just make sure it doesn't loosen."

"I'll do that," grinned Miroku, his hand reaching for some unknown object…

"Gah!"

Slap

"Houshi-sama!"

"Oh, when will this curse end?"

"Hey you!" snarled Sango, pointing one finger so it was directly under his nose, "don't you pull that crap with me! You're always doing that, groping me… and other women!"

Miroku backed up slightly, he had never seen Sango so angry at him, "S-Sango!"

"Don't 'Sango' me! Gah! Will you ever learn, Houshi-sama?" Miroku swore he saw tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "Sometimes… sometimes I just wish you'd get out of my life!" And with that she turned around and stomped off, leaving Miroku in shock.

"Fine," he said quietly to himself after a moment, "if that's the way she wants it…"

An hour later, as everyone was asleep, Miroku quietly crept away from them. Even Inuyasha was so tired that he did not wake up to see Miroku leaving.

"I will not burden you anymore Sango." Sighing as he did so, he turned and headed northward alone.

He knew that perhaps he was going against his words… that he'd never let her cry again, he knew that she would wake up in the morning and completely forget her anger towards him, only to notice he was no longer there, and she'd be sad again, but Miroku was thinking past that. He knew, in the end, he'd only end up hurting her more. He was cursed… cursed with the one thing Sango did not need anymore of. Death. What cruel irony that the one thing she needed was the one thing that he could not offer her. And don't get him wrong, Miroku was not stupid, he saw all this, he felt the bittersweet pang of ethereal cruelty that he had been not-quite-blessed with, and he also saw how his lecherous acts hurt Sango. Her pain would be much less if he left than actually having her witness his doom, and then she would not have to put up with his perverseness. Because, of course, Miroku was only thinking of Sango. Sango was the most important thing in the world to him, but he was a monk, and monks where taught to severe all ties with earthly things. It was better for both of them this way, and he saw this.

Miroku was possibly the smartest idiot on the face of the Earth.

After walking for a long time, Miroku knew he knew the others would be waking up at about this time, and that he was well out of the range of Inuyasha's nose.

_Darn you Miroku_, he scorned himself,_ you spent so much time with them you got used to their habits. You're on your own now, just like before, nobody's ass but your own to look after._

_Yeah, _another part of his mind answered, _and nobody to talk to but myself either._

"Shut up, both of you," Miroku spoke aloud, as if the voices in his head were somebody other than himself. He sighed, "I'm going crazy."

One thing Miroku noticed the further he traveled, was that the land became more and more barren. The ground was flat and rocky, with large outcroppings every now and then breaking across the horizon.

"This isn't supposed to be like this," he said in awe, "Mushin always told me the far north was completely covered in trees! This is… this is all dead!"

"Admiring my handy work I see!"

Miroku spun around, "Where are you?"

"Tsk tsk, aren't you gonna ask who I am?"

"I know who you are… you're the Earth demon, Tsuchi, aren't you?"

"Wha? How'd you know?"

"Who else could you be? Now show yourself!"

"Fine!"

Miroku backed up as the ground beneath his feet began to bulge, before morphing into a female demon. Her armor seemed to be made completely of rock, her red hair cut close to here head and spiked.

"Not one for theatrics, are you?" she asked, eyes scanning his body.

"If they're unnecessary…" glared Miroku.

"Well, never mind. I must say, though, I'm quite pleased to find you… alone."

"Why are all you coming after me?" growled Miroku. "Oh, don't give that look," he retorted, seeing the questioning look on the demon's face, "Mizu said you're going after Inuyasha, but if so, why did she abduct me? And why did Kaze plant me in the middle of a desert with a crippled Hanyou? And why did your goddamn fire brother, throw a goddamn Shikon shard, into my goddamn Kazaana?"

"Y'know, for a monk, you have an awfully dirty mouth… but you are also quite intelligent, so to answer your question… let's just say you have something we want!"

"And what would that be?"

"YOUR LIFE!"

A blade of rock came flying towards him instantly, but he managed to shear it in two with his shakujou. As a result he lost his balance and began to fall backwards. The ground under his feet rose up instantly, sending him flying backwards. He righted himself instantly and charged forward, only to be met with a barrage of stones.

As he lay on his back, bruised and moaning, he heard the footsteps of Tsuchi grow closer.

"You're not nearly as tough as I have heard…"

_Dammit... she's so powerful… and I still can't use my Kazaana!_

A foot came down hard on his chest, shattering a rib and forcing him to cough up blood.

"How shall I kill you?" smirked the demon. "Shall I slice you to bits? Or crush you? Or perhaps you prefer a slow and painful suffocation?"

"I'm guessing I have no say in the matter?" hissed Miroku.

"Correct… and I think I like the idea of a good crushing, I love the way guts splatter."

Suddenly there was a great scream, and a whirring sound as a shower of rocks fell over Miroku, and all pressure was removed from his chest.

Slowly he rose to a sitting position, clutching at his chest. He saw the lower half of the demon lying on the ground. There was no blood.

He looked up and there she was.

"Sango-sama…" he breathed.

She was quiet as she approached him, her bangs hanging low over her eyes. Kirara stood in the background, still in her demon form. Sango drew close and stopped in front of him. Miroku rose to his feet.

"How dare you…" she growled.

Miroku was on the ground again, this time clutching his cheek. The blow from her punch had sent him to the dirt.

"Sango-sama…" he repeated.

"How dare you just leave like that!"

"I… I…"

"You're lucky I followed you, Houshi-sama," she yelled, putting great emphasis on his title, "or you'd be no more than Monk stew right now."

"Yes, and I thank you… " he said, standing up once more, thankful she did not hit him this time. "And trust me… I did have a reason for leaving…"

"A reason that you could not share with us?" she said coldly, "Or is just that you wanted to make me worry?"

"Sango… I would never…" he took a step forward and cautiously wrapped his arms around her. Her head came to a rest on his shoulder, and when his robe became moist he knew she was crying.

His reasons seemed so selfish all of a sudden.

"Listen, Sango… I would never intentionally hurt you, you know that, right?"

She nodded slightly, pushing his robe across his skin.

"Don't cry Sango… as long as I have a choice… I shall never leave you again."

"Good," was all she said. As she was lifting her face from his shoulder, however, she froze, staring past his head. "Houshi-sama… where's the demon's body?"

No sooner had she asked did the ground beneath their feet shoot upwards, sending them sprawling to the ground.

"Stupid humans!" Tsuchi's voice rang out, "leaving yourself open to my attack!" The ground once more formed itself into the female earth demon. "My body cannot be broken."

Sango quickly regained possession of the Hiraikotsu, propping it in it's battle-ready position against her shoulder. "There's three of us now… do you think you can handle that, demon?"

"Easily!" Multiple blades of rock came flying at them, but this time they took shelter behind the Hiraikotsu, which's strong bone body completely defended them from the assault.

Kirara, meanwhile, circled around and tackled Tsuchi from behind, sending he tumbling forward right in front of Miroku and Sango. Raising the Hiraikotsu above her head, Sango swung it forward, however, only moments before, Tsuchi had sunk into the ground, and the Hiraikotsu connected with nothing but dirt. A great move then moved through the surface, knocking both of them of their feet.

"How do we beat this thing?" asked Sango.

"It's living, right?" Miroku responded, "So it can't be completely the earth itself… there must be a heart… a core of some sort! We destroy that, we destroy the beast!"

"But where?"

"Somewhere where she would know she would be able to find it again… something out of place!"

But there was no time to reflect on that thought, as a ridge of rocks came shooting through the ground towards them. They jumped, and the ridge cut in between their bodies, separating them. Sango was quick to crash through the barrier with the hiraikotsu, however.

There was a great howl as Kirara was thrown backward into the ridge of rocks, instantly shrinking to her smaller form, no longer containing the strength to fight.

"Kirara!" yelled Sango, but she was soon distracted a barrage of rocks, one of which hit her on the side of the head with a sickening crack. She slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Sango!"

"It's just you and me now, monk!" cackled Tsuchi, once more hidden from his sight.

_Damn… I can't sense where she is…_ _I can't use the Kazaana... Sango and Kirara are down for the count… this does not look good._

There was a great rumbling beneath his feet, and Miroku jumped to the side, just in time for a giant stalagmite to miss him. In the blink of an eye, the stalagmite transformed into Tsuchi. Her fist connected with his cheek, sending him flying backwards before finally skidding to a halt.

"No more play!" yelled Tsuchi, "Your blood spills now!" One of her arms morphed in to a long, curved blade, and she shot towards him, ready to remove his head.

And Miroku could do nothing but watch. She was too fast! He raised the shakujou to cover his face, though he knew that it would do no good. He closed his eyes.

"You're mine!"

Miroku waited… but nothing happened. Slowly he opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with the demon. Letting out a scream he scrambled backward, but stopped when he noticed something. Her eyes were blank and her body had lost all sense of flesh. Tsuchi now stood unmoving, a rock. Miroku's eyes panned to the side, and there was Sango, standing on legs so weak she had not been able to catch the returning Hiraikotsu.

Off in the distance lay a sing dead tree, chopped clean in half.

"Damn demon," she growled weakly, "no one hits Houshi-sama but me."

Miroku rushed over to her just in time to catch her as she fell. The side of her face where the rock had struck her was covered in blood, and he knew she was struggling to keep consciousness. Miroku wasted no time in ripping one of the sleeves of his new robe in order to bandage her head.

"You did it Sango," he grinned.

"Lucky guess," she chuckled slightly. Slowly she sat up, one handing reaching up to her head. There was an odd look in her eyes, Miroku could not place it. "Houshi-sama…" she whispered.

And then he realized, all this time her lips were drawing closer to his. He sat still in shock as they came closer… closer…

But at the last minute he turned away.

"No," he said.

"Houshi-sama…"

"Sango, that rock put you out of your right state of mind, you're not thinking properly. You might not even remember any of this later…"

"Mir-"

"No don't say my name," he cut her off. "Not now. I want the first time you say it to mean something Sango, that's not something that's possible now…"

He saw the first speckles of tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

"Don't do that," he sighed, using his remaining robe sleeve to wipe the tears away. "Listen, I promise that I will… but when it happens you'll know what you're doing… and… not until Naraku is defeated. Not until I know I can promise you my life."

Sango looked a bit disappointed, but she nodded, "I'll hold you to it Houshi-sama."

"OI!" they looked up to see Inuyasha darting towards them, Kagome riding on his back. "Why'd you to run off like that."

Miroku smiled, before looking down at the woman, "Let's go Sango."

"Yes."

Miroku stood up and helped her to her feet, making sure she was stable on her legs before letting go.

"Houshi-sama?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Thank you... you're right."

"Anytime Sango, anytime."

And so, reunited with their friends, they headed off once more, feeling ready to face anything that would be thrown at them.

* * *

The statue that was once Tsuchi stood boldly out against the horizon as another figure approached it. Gentle fingers caressed the rocky surface that was once the flesh and blood of the face.

"The time has come, all my brothers and sisters have fallen, but in their death I grow stronger. We may not have been able to defeat them separately my comrades, but together, we will tear them limb from limb."

The fingers left the rock's face slowly, almost sorrowfully.

"Shame though… I hate eating rock."

* * *

**End Chapter 15

* * *

**

Okay... I know some of you think the Miroku/Sango part near the end might be out of character... but remember, Sango was hit by a rock! And I think it's pretty obvious from the manga, they both know they love each other... it's just a matter of admitting it, something which neither of them seem ready to do. Sango, because she's afraid of her emotions... something Miroku is obviously not... and I think that the only problem he has is, as shown when he asks Sango to live with him, he's afraid he doesn't have much time to live, and would rather wait until after Naraku is defeated.

Anyway, please review! Don't worry... I have the next chapter all planned out.


	17. Ch 16: Old Enemies and New Problems

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If you own Inuyasha, pleas tell me. I have $1.27.

* * *

Hi Guys! Guess what? Tomorrow's my birthday! Yep! 16 years old, hear I come! School's horrible, especially with all the honors classes i'm taking, so two weeks may become the average wait for a chapter. Hopefully not. I want to finish, 'cause I've got another story to go... but anyway... Oh yeah, a mistake I've made in past chapters. Mistranslation on my part. I've been reffering to the group as the "Inu-taichi", since "tai" means group. But I did some research, and it's "tachi" not "taichi". Sorry bout that. Anyway, reviews!

PenguinChica: Um... did you review twice? Cause I also got a review from "peguinchica44". I'm assuming it's you, since it's so similar. Anyway, thanks, it's always nice when i get new reviewers!

Ninalee-chan: Yes... I gave Inu a bit of a break. I mean, I don't want to look like I hate him... to be completely honest I have more problems with Kagome than him (not that I hate her either...)

Veglma: I know... I was just actin' stupid. Shadow... nope. It's something many cultures have seen as a "fifth element", but I'm not giving any more info than that.

Dark Angel: ...someone's happy! Sorry 'bout the wait, hopefully the next one won't take so long.

Gogglehead Lover: Really now? You see, I was thinkin' people would think just the opposite! Thanks!

xXHyperactive Dork-assXx: Okay. Captain Obvious it is! Sorry bout the wait though...

Crystal Promise: Erm... you do know I'm a guy, right? Thanks for the review!

Okay, anyway, enough of my yappin', here's chapter 16!

**

* * *

Chapter 16: Old Enemies and New Troubles **

It would seem that Miroku's suspicions had been correct. As time went by, it became more and more obvious how little Sango remembered after being struck with the rock. She did, however, seem to know that _something _had gone on between them and put a very uncomfortable distance in between the two of them. His first inclinations had been to approach her and bridge the gap, but in the end decided it best to let her nervousness wear off naturally. A refreshingly cool breeze told Miroku they were approaching the northern ocean, and beyond that… well, the time would come were that was important. On a high note, however, as they passed the limits of Tsuchi's territory, the trees once again grew in thick abundance, providing security and shelter. 

They settled down that night with an air of victory, knowing that the four elemental demons were behind them and no longer an issue. The only plight on their minds at the moment was Kagome's limited source of food, which, after dinner, had been depleted to two bags of chips and a couple cups of instant ramen. Not that Inuyasha was complaining.

The others fell asleep almost instantly, but Miroku lay awake, staring up at the stars. His head was bothering him. It would seem that now that they were this close to the source of the power, it's overwhelming aura was so great it was painful to even his weakened senses. Briefly, he debated removing the necklace and discarding it, before deciding that the power they were up against would surely kill him instantly.

He scanned the sleeping bodies of his companions. Kagome was rocking gently as she cradled Shippo in her arms, and Inuyasha had abandoned his tree and was lying spread-eagled on the ground, snoring loudly. He was surprised to see the red skylight flickering off two glowing orbs staring in his direction.

"Why are you awake, Sango?" he asked. After while in which she neither answered or responded in any way, he spoke up again, "I'm not going to run away Sango, I promise you."

"I know," she answered back, though not sounding thoroughly convinced.

For the longest time Miroku watched the light in her eyes, until finally the reflection ceased and did not return as sleep took over her. Miroku leaned back and decided to try and sleep.

* * *

For Sesshomaru, the trip was almost painfully uneventful. At one point he had been lucky enough to encounter a horde of fleeing demons, of which he had quickly dispatched, but the lack of any action was beginning to irk him. He had sent Jaken and Rin south with Aun, and the constant quarreling that he had once considered bothersome would have almost been a welcome break in the bleak and silent landscape he now stood upon. Nevertheless, this intruding force proved to be a source of curiosity for him, only looking for a formidable opponent.

Certainly someone stronger than that half-demon excuse for a brother of his.

He rubbed idly at his left shoulder. Though he would not readily admit it, the stub that had once been his arm was prone to aches and pains, at which times he would merely grunt and ignore it.

A sudden whistling pierced the air, and he easily bent backward, just as and arrow streaked directly past the tip of his nose. His head swung to the right in an attempt to find the source, in time to see a woman dressed in white and red step out from the trees, arrow notched and threatening.

"The dead priestess…" he said, void of emotion as usual.

"Hello, Sesshomaru," she responded, equally as cold.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing from you," Kikyo responded, still not lowering her arrow, "but if you plan to get in my way…"

"I want nothing of the sort."

The arrow went down. "That was just a warning shot."

Sesshomaru grunted. He continued on his way, but then heard the woman speak up again.

"Inuyasha and his friends have headed north already."

"Why would I care what that Hanyou does?" growled Sesshomaru, turning slightly.

"You seem to have a thing against him, I thought it might interest you."

"It doesn't," he grunted. His remaining hand traveled down to his sword, "Now, if you do not leave me be, I shall smash that fake body of yours to pieces."

"As you wish."

Once more turning to leave, Sesshomaru continued northward, but the faint smell of graveyard soil constantly reminded him he was not alone.

* * *

"Gah!"

Miroku shot awake instantly, breathing heavily. His bangs and robes were plastered to his body by a cold sweat, making the night even more uncomfortably cool than it already was.

With an unstable desperateness he yanked his right hand up, staring at the palm which still tingled in memory of his dream.

"What's wrong, monk?" asked Inuyasha, one last eye cracking open to survey the houshi.

"N-nothing," he stammered, trying to bring some sort of confidence to his voice. "I'm fine Inuyasha, just a dream. Go back to sleep."

"Aren't you a little old to be scared by nightmares?"

"Believe me Inuyasha… to not fear what I just saw… would be to fear nothing at all. Now go to bed."

"Keh, whatever." Waving one arm absently, Inuyasha rolled over, and it was not long before his snoring once more floated through the air.

Miroku shivered as his eyes ventured back down to his hand. The tingling had subsided, but the visions still haunted his mind. Wind… and screaming… someone crying… and then a gut-wrenching sadness like no other. He had felt as though nothing would ever be right again… as though… as though he had inadvertently caused all the world's suffering and now no one would ever be happy, and it was his fault.

It was times like these he wished he'd never been born.

Miroku spent the rest of the night in a state in between consciousness and sleep, hovering on the edge of reality. He couldn't sleep… he didn't want to. He would not risk having that dream again. As a result, his companions had quite a difficult time rousing him that morning.

That all changed, however, when Inuyasha saw it fit to a bucket's worth of icy cold water on his face. Miroku instantly shot up, sputtering and growling obscenities at the amused Hanyou.

After a brief breakfast consisting of much less than any of them would like to eat, camp was packed up and they headed off once more, none in a particularly agreeable mood as their stomachs growled in hunger and their heads spun in lack of sleep.

"Dammit," swore Inuyasha, "we have to get this over with fast or there's no way we'll be able to make it!"

"I know," sighed Kagome, "but there's nothing we can do. If we skip lunch and you control your stomach… we should have enough food to last us two days. That's how long it should take us, right?"

"Yes," nodded Miroku, "But that's not including the return trip. Unless we can find some source of food… well… this might turn out to be a sacrificial mission after all."

"Shut up," growled Inuyasha, "If it comes to that, we'll eat you, you stupid Bouzu. No one will miss ya."

"Inuyasha!" scolded Kagome.

"Houshi-sama's right," spoke up Sango, "even if the food lasts us two days, we surely will not have enough energy to defend ourselves, never mind prevent an apocalypse…"

"We're only half a day's travel away from the ocean, maybe we can fish?" Kagome added hopefully.

"That's considering the fish haven't fled the waters," Sango noted grimly.

"Fish are stupid," chimed Miroku, "Even if they had the intelligence to flee, they surely wouldn't have left their home waters. Their food source is there."

"Well, let's hope you're right," Kagome said, "what would we use as bait though?"

"Do fish eat ramen?" asked Sango.

"Hell no!" Inuyasha yelled, spinning around.

"Osuwari," Kagome said simply. "That might work."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," Miroku said optimistically. "Anyway, there's still the matter of getting across the water. Kirara can't hold us all for such a long trip. Shippo, how long do you think you can hold your balloon form?"

"I don't know," said Shippo, unsurely. "How long do you think I'd have to hold it?"

"I'm not sure… I guess if we cross at the most narrow point…" Miroku began tracing a map in the air with his finger, "I'd plan for perhaps… six hours at the most."

"Wh-wha?" stuttered Shippo. "Six hours? I-I don't think so!"

Miroku sighed. "This is quite a dilemma. Well, we have the rest of the night to think about it. I suggest that once we reach the ocean we stop for the night, then the next morning we cross. That means we'll be on the northern island my noon tomorrow, so we'll have a day and a half, given Kagome's food stores, to find the problem and stop it."

"But then the factor, we still don't know how long we have until the end of the world!" Sango added.

"Yes, that has troubled me," Miroku nodded, offering his scholarly knowledge once more, "and I suspect we do not have long at all. Consider, the first few days after this happened, the changes were rapid, and large. Now, however, the conditions haven't changed much at all for the past two days. I think this means that the final stages have begun."

A cold breeze blew over the land, causing them to shiver.

"Well then," Inuyasha smirked, "let's hurry. At least we don't have to worry about no demons slowing us down."

"Let us hope."

* * *

A little to the south Sesshomaru continued his steady pace northward. He paused as a cold breeze swirled around him before directing itself southward once again. His eyes narrowed.

"Inuyasha."

* * *

**End Chapter 16

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**

Hmm? What is Sesshomaru up to? And what was up with Miroku's dream? I assure you, it is important, don't overllok it.

Please Review, and I shall love you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever!

(and who wouldn't want that?)


	18. Ch 17: Heavy Fuel

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: Oobelee-boobelee. That's French for "I don't own Inuyasha".

* * *

First off, I'd like to thank all y'alls for yer patience. I recently got a job washin' dishes one Fridays and Saturdays, the days I normally write on! As if school wasn't enough. Anyway, It shouldn't effect the turnout... seeing as I've been takin' two weeks recently anyway. I'm sorry 'bout all this, I'm gonna really buckle down and start crankin' this baby out. Anyway, reviews.

Ninalee-chan: Good points regarding the anime? Man... I didn't realize I was capable of intelligent thought...

Veglma: Happy self as usual? Good. Well... I don't want to give it away for you, so I can't tell ya! Yes... Sesshomaru generally causes a problem.

xcrossmeheartx: Actually... I can't drive yet. I'm close, though!

Dark Angel: This chapter has some good Ramen action in it! You should like that.

medlii: Heh heh... don't patronize me... please... Yeah... as for Sesshomaru... I made a mistake in the description. If you're up to date with the manga, you should be able to figure it out!

Amylovestakuya: Thank you!

TUF STUF II: Sorry... this chappie ain't to actiony either, but the next one will be!

Crystal Promise: Haha... I already talked to you 'bout that!

xXBeautiful DisasterXx: Toe? And Inuyasha is always an Ass.

Anyway, thanks to all of you! Here's the chapter and I'll try to hurry up with the next one!

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**Chapter 17: Heavy Fuel**

The dark waves of the northern ocean loomed before them. They had made it. The wave of relief that spread across the Inu-tachi was apparent to even the most ignorant of people as they set up camp and lit a fire. Shippo had fallen sleep almost instantly, his young body exhausted from the constant traveling and partly from boredom. Not even Kagome had had much time to entertain him over the past days. They now sat around the flickering flame, staring into its depth. No one needed to ask what the silence was for. They all new that by this time on the next day they would either be victorious… or dead. Miroku scanned his companions. Kagome was staring into nothingness, her large eyes reflecting every amount of light the fire ejected. Her face was oddly emotionless. Miroku knew she had a habit of that. When happy, Kagome was perhaps the most exuberant (and somewhat annoying) being on the planet. But when she was sad or anxious, she did not show it. She became like stone, her usual upbeat nature completely drained from her body. Inuyasha's eyes were narrowed as he intently watched to movements of the flame. Despite hi usual brutish nature, Inuyasha had capacity for deep thought, but Miroku could still see the small smirk on his face. He was never able to resist a good fight, he was looking forward to it.

Sango intrigued him. Well, Sango always intrigued him. Possibly because he played such close attention to her every movement he had gotten her entire psychology down, and he new when she was acting out of the ordinary. And right now, she was definitely acting oddly. Usually, she avoided his gaze at the fire. Something he never understood, but whenever his eye caught hers, she would tend to quickly look away. Miroku had once believed he saw a blush on her face whenever she did this, but he was now smart enough to know it was just the light of the fire on her perfect cheeks (not _those _cheeks, get your mind outta the gutter). Today however, he turned to find her staring directly at him, yet she did not avert her gaze. She didn't even show a sign that she acknowledged his. Miroku watched her for a second, trying to figure out if she was actually staring at him, or just into the space that he happened to be occupying. Finally, he decided to ask.

"Sango, is something wrong?"

Sango instantly woke from her reverie. "Huh?" she blinked.

"I asked if something was wrong?"

"Wha? No… why?"

"Well you were staring in my direction and…"

"No, Houshi-sama, nothing's wrong."

Their conversation roused to Kagome, who piped in, "Why don't we try fishing?" She reached into her book bag and, pulling out the last cup of ramen…

"No!" It was instantly swiped out of her hands by Inuyasha, who was now cradling it to his chest like an infant. "No way are you using the last of the ramen to try and catch some stupid fish!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome warned.

"No!" Inuyasha took off running.

"Inuyasha! Get back here!" yelled Kagome, jumping to her feet with the others and darting after him.

Inuyasha kept running, ramen held way out in from of him. None of his pursuers had the speed to catching the fleeing Hanyou, but there was one weapon they had that Inuyasha had forgotten to take into account…

"Inuyasha… osuwari!"

Inuyasha instantly fell flat on the ground, causing a giant crater in the dirt. Slowly, the others approached before peaking in cautiously. Inuyasha sat on his haunches in the hole, the cup clasped in his hands.

"Inuyasha, give me the ramen," growled Kagome, holding out a hand.

"No…"

A vein instantly popped up in Kagome's head, but that was quickly remedied when Miroku whapped Inuyasha over the head with his staff, causing the Hanyou to fall backward and the ramen to be flung up the air, where it was intercepted by Kagome. As the three tuned and walked away, Inuyasha inched himself along the ground in a crawling fashion before lifting one wavering hand into the air.

"My precious…" he hissed.

Kagome turned slowly to look at him, one eyebrow arched. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Good."

And so began a long and dramatic story of death and suffering… _The Lord of the Ramen!_

_  
_Erm… wait a minute, getting off topic here. Anyway, so it was destined that the precious ramen be used to catch lowly and slimy fish.

Unfortunately, the ramen worked much less than they would have liked, and at the end of the hour they had caught only two small fish. Inuyasha's impatience, for once, seemed to work for the better as he, getting tired of waiting for a fish to bite, flung himself into the water and came up holding strongly onto a squirming fish. With a grunt he flung it onto land before submerging once again in search of more. Kirara transformed into her large form and joined him, pulling fish out of the water much like a bear would catch salmon swimming upstream. It was not long before they had a decent pile of the sea creatures, which they all watched anxiously as the fish roasted on sticks over the fire.

Once they had eaten, they settled down to sleep feeling full for the first time in a week. Miroku found a rock to prop himself up against before nodding his head forward and allowing sleep to overtake him…

Had he known that the same nightmare would assault him, he probably would have opted to avoid sleep once again. Yet, for the second time in a row he woke up in fear. He breathed deeply while wiping the sweat off his face with his sleeve. Resting his had back against the rock once more, he stared out at the ocean. Instantly he felt himself begin to calm. He watched quietly as the small waves came rolling in, before breaking apart on the rocky shore. A cool sea breeze refreshed his hot skin. The sound the ocean produced was incredibly soothing and he sat in silence, perfectly content.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a dreamy voice from above him.

Jumping in shock, Miroku scrambled away from the rock, before turning around to see who it was. A seemingly normal man sat with legs crossed on the rock. He was dressed in a pure white robe. His bright blue eyes stood out against the dark sky while his flowing blonde hair danced around his face.

"Who are you?" asked Miroku.

The man decided not to answer, merely staring out at the ocean before finally speaking again. "You now, I had a sister once."

Miroku calmed, not sensing anything wrong with this person. "What about her?" he asked, trying to sound polite, though he knew it came out strained.

"She loved the ocean. More than anything in the world."

"Oh… what happened to her?"

"She was killed. Murdered actually."

"That's horrible…"

For the first time the man's eyes towards Miroku. His thin eyes narrowed slightly as they caught his. "Quite," he said simply. "Won't you joining me?" he asked, placing a hand on a space on the rock next to him.

"Sure…" Miroku answered cautiously. Standing up, he made his way over to the man before sliding onto the rock next to him. "Who… are you anyway."

"I am a traveler," the man spoke once more in his somewhat detached voice, "a man void of home or family."

"Hmm…" Miroku made a guttural noise, his eyes shifting to the ground. "I know how that feels."

"I see…" the man's piercing eyes watched him for a moment. "Let me see your eyes, boy."

He didn't know exactly the point of it, but something told Miroku he could trust this man. Slowly, he turned his head until he was looking directly into the eyes of the newcomer. Almost instantly, one of the man's pale hands shot up and caught his cheek, furthering Miroku's nervousness.

"You have seen… felt so much pain…" he whispered.

Miroku wanted to turn away, but for some reason he couldn't. It was as if this new man was reading his very soul. The man had his eyes closed now, but his hand did not leave Miroku' cheek, His head bowed slowly forward. They sat like that for what seemed like many minutes for Miroku. He could literally feel every emotion he ever felt being pulled from his heart and into the hand of this stranger before finally…

"Gah!" the newcomer yanked his hand away, as if he had been burned.

"What's wrong?" asked Miroku.

"You… you have some of the most disturbing emotions I've ever experienced."

"Yes… well loosing your entire family to a curse set upon them by a maniacal Hanyou, a curse that can claim your life at any moment will do that to you."

"Nobody should ever experience such things…"

"I used to say that to… but then I realized that everyone can't be happy. I just happened to be one of those people, and I got over it. Besides, surely my companions have emotions just as strong…"

The man snorted. "I've already read their emotions."

"Huh? When?"

"When they were sleeping, one night ago."

"One night? I was awake, I didn't see you."

"You almost did. You woke up while I was trying, as you did now."

"Well why didn't they?"

"Wake up? It's simple really. Or not so much… anyway. You keep your emotions much more guarded. As I was withdrawing them your mind started processing the into a mental image. To warn you these emotions were emerging. I was only able to read them now because you willingly allowed me."

"My nightmares…"

He nodded. "You've experienced so much pain that your mind has suppressed these things so deeply behind a mask of joy and… perverseness. But I warn you, monk, the mask has to come off sometime so you can take a breath. It's good to keep a positive attitude, but sometimes you just have to let out your emotions, or they'll only build up until you explode."

Miroku couldn't help himself. He felt the warm tickling sensation as a tear fell down his face. This man… whoever he was, had an amazing effect on him.

"See? It feels good, doesn't it? To cry?"

Miroku nodded slightly, to appease him more than anything.

"That's what intrigued me so much about you," the man continued, "That a boy with so much pain would seem to be the happiest of you. You're friends… Kagome has no real reason to be sad. She may be jealous of Kikyo, but deep down, she trusts Inuyasha. Speaking of whom, Inuyasha has experienced pain much like all of you. But, even though he would never admit it, being with you guys make him feel good. It makes him feel wanted, something that he's never known in his life. Unlike you, who have to constantly worry about them for if your Kazaana were to open. But also, Inuyasha has a very large ego, and that helps him some. The kitsune, Shippo, who lost his parents, has found a new mother in Kagome. And then… there's the taijiya. As you know… she lost her entire family, village, had her brother enslaved by the same man who tricked her. But she shows her emotions, Miroku, and that's what I want you to understand. Every time the waters build up, she opens the dam, instead of you, who build the dam higher. That way her emotions come out little by little, unlike yours, that would come out in one gigantic rush of depression. But there's also something else she has, you know what that is?"

Miroku shook his head.

"She has _you._ I felt her emotions, Miroku. Can you imagine the happiness she felt when you asked her to live with you? Finally she had a family again. Someone she _knew _she could turn to when she needed something, anything. That's what you are to her, Miroku. You are her family. And I think once you realize this, you'll be able to handle your own emotions much better."

Miroku stared at the ground in disbelief. Eventually, he answered in a weak voice. "Who are you, really? And why are you so interested in us?"

The man sighed. "Follow me, and take off your sandals." He stood up and began walking towards the ocean. Miroku did as he was told and rushed after him. The stopped at the shore so that the water rushed over their toes as they gazed off towards the north, knowing what awaited there. "I'm not going to lie, Miroku. My name is Tamashii, and I was sent to kill you."

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**End Chapter 17**

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For those of you who don't know, "Tamashii" means "soul".

My next chapter should be in 1-2 weeks, depending on whether or not I have time to work on this. So until then, review!

**Next Chapter**: The Inu-tachi face one of their most difficult battles yet... but is it with Tamashii?

Review please!


	19. Ch 18: The Final Countdown

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: (Sung to "I Can't Get No Satisfactiong by the Rolling Stones) I don't own no, Inuyasha, stuck my head in, a dish washa...

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Whoah... I just realized it's been three weeks since I updated... damn, I'm really sorry guys. I've just been real stressed, what with school (honors chem... ugh), work, driving, sickness, Thanksgiving... this just hasn't been one of my priorities... but, nextchapter will definatly be much faster! I hate dissapointing people... Anyway, reviews!

Mizuumi13: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews! I dedicate this chapter to you!

ninalee-chan: Umm... thanks? Naw, really, I actually pondered over that line for a bit, but then decided it was easier to understand with two "had's". But I won't do it next time, just for you!

Dark Angel: Well... thank you happy person!

Gogglehead Lover: Sorry! Sorry! But, uh... long suspense means more wait, right?

Crystal Promise: While I do find Kagome annoying... I don't think she's quite as useless as you made her out to be... but otherwise, I mostly agree with you.

XxJess-ChanXx: Well... she's after the jewel shards, considering she broke them apart... and can't someone just be worried about the good of the masses? But she really has not experienced true tragedy like her companions...

AngelofMusic516: Thanks... I've always been a kinda psychological person, so I like to look into emotions and underlying feelings, things of that sort.

Once more... sorry. But enough of my patheticism... here's the chappie!

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**Chapter 18: The Final Countdown **(I know, I know, horrible song. I jus' couldn't help it!"

Miroku blinked, did a double take, but oddly enough had no other reactions whatsoever.

"To kill me?" he asked, quite calmly.

"Yes," nodded Tamashii, turning his head to face Miroku, "but I'm not going to do it."

"I figured as much," Miroku answered, "but may I ask why?"

"Yes… I suppose. As you no doubt already know, I was sent by the great force, the apocalypse, my master. Along with my four siblings, we were demanded to stall you four, in exchange for an eternity in paradise. I was the odd one among my siblings… each one having control over a certain product of the Earth… I, however, had none. But I did have a special gift, I could take on the assets of anything I ingested." He paused for a minute, as if trying to suppress an ugly memory. Then he continued, "My master thought that consuming each of my siblings would turn me into some sort of super power, with complete control over everything. And for the first three, it worked. I could alter the wind, fire, water… and then you defeated my sister, Tsuchi. At first, I thought it was effective, but then, things began to change. I could hear the thoughts of anybody… feel their pain. All of a sudden, I found my self sympathizing. I was experiencing things so strong I fell into depression. Any maliciousness I had faded away. I feel the justification in your actions… in my master's and my own, there has only been evil and selfishness. That is why I won't kill you. Because it is the unity of the elements that creates the soul."

"But that… that's just like the Shikon no Tama!" Miroku expelled.

"Observant," Tamashii nodded. "Yes, exactly so. One thing I've noticed in my observance of humans, is that they often fail to realize the power of unity. Courage, Love, Wisdom, and Family… it is those that make up the jewel. The jewel, as you know, is one united soul, as are the four of you, when you fight together. Individually, each of you are strong in you're own way, Kagome's will, your wisdom, Sango's skill, and Inuyasha's strength, but together you can tackle anything that isn't united."

Miroku nodded slowly, it seemed oddly cliché, but in it's own sense true.

"But we can't always be united," a voice broke in from behind. Miroku spun to see Sango. She continued, "sometimes we have to fight alone."

Tamashii laughed and spoke, not even turning around. "You are very alert, slayer, and quiet… even with my powers I did not see your coming."

"It comes with the job," she answered.

"I see," he responded, "but you are right. Unity, while powerful, is not infallible. It can be broken, but that does not mean defeat, rather… compensation."

The three watched the northern glow for a while, before Tamashii spoke again.

"You know, monk, there is someone sharing that body with you."

Miroku's eyes did not avert from the north. "Yes, I know."

"What? Houshi-sama, why didn't you tell us?" Sango questioned.

"Simply because I just found out. How did you know, Tamashii?"

"I ran into him on one of my delves through your mind… quite an interesting fellow."

"I see… well… erm… how is he?" Miroku asked, not sure of how to respond.

"Quite angry actually, that you haven't let him out lately."

"It's not like I have a choice," growled Miroku.

Their topics for conversation once more ran out, and silence came again, before Tamashii finally turned.

"The day comes," he sighed, "I must leave before my master becomes curious of my whereabouts. Now listen closely, I have some vital information for you. If you wish to succeed you must…"

Instead of words, however, his breath was cut short in a gasp. He mouthed silently for a minute, before falling forward, revealing a long, bloody gash across the width of his back.

Miroku and Sango instantly darted for their weapons, Sango waking up Kagome as Inuyasha himself snapped awake at the noise.

"What's going on?" asked Kagome, but was answered as a figure stepped into view.

"What an annoying person…" grumbled Sesshomaru as he approached the fallen body of Tamashii.

"Dammit… Sesshomaru," growled Inuyasha, hand hovering over the Tetsusaiga.

"What was that for?" yelled Sango, "He did nothing to you!"

Sesshomaru's eyes glared dangerously at her, "Listen to me, slayer, this demon is my prey. I'm the one that's going to handle this. You'd be best not to interfere."

His warning was completely ignored by Inuyasha, however, who had charged him, Tetsusaiga swinging forward.

A loud clang resonated through the air. Sesshomaru had drawn Tenseiga at the last moment, and the two now stood at a standoff.

"What are you going to do with that useless sword Sesshomaru?" taunted Inuyasha.

"Tsk. How soon do we forget…"

Sesshomaru swiped the Tenseiga, causing Inuyasha to go skidding backwards on his feet. He was quick to rebound however, and the battle resumed.

None of the others dared step in, Inuyasha was very soloist in his approach towards battle with Sesshomaru, and they knew an interruption would not be something that he would appreciate. Instead, they ran to aid Tamashii, carefully rolling him onto his back. He was alive.

Barely.

"Are you okay?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah… don't worry about me. I heal fast," he smiled. "But listen… you better go. You have only… half a day left."

"Twelve hours? Only that little?" asked Kagome.

"Yes. So hurry."

"What about you?" Sango inquired.

"Leave me. As soon as I feel well, I'll come to your aid. Now, go!"

"Right."

"Inuyasha!" yelled Kagome, "We've got to go!"

"Dammit, wench! Can't you tell I'm busy? You guys go, someone has to keep Sesshomaru busy!"

"He's right," said Miroku, "Let's go Kagome."

"No," she shook her head. "I can't! What if he gets hurt, what if he… needs me?"

They tried to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge, and Shippo, given the opportunity to dodge danger and stay with his foster-mother, refused to leave also.

"I guess it's just you and me then, Sango," sighed Miroku.

"But what about unity, Houshi-sama? We were just discussing it, and now we are throwing the whole idea away?"

Miroku shook his head. "Sango, as whole, we might not be united in physical presence, but in mission and heart, we are one."

Sango tested this idea in her mind for a second before she nodded. "Okay. Kirara!"

They were instantly swept off their feet by the demon, and, hesitating only to look back once, took off across the sea.

Far to the north, deep in the core of an active volcano, a lone figure waited. His power was growing every second, and the time was near. He held up a clenched fist, feeling the muscles in his arm tighten as blood rushed through the protruding veins of his wrist. He let out a malicious laugh. Soon he would be indomitable. Soon not the strongest demon would be able to stop him. The idea played across his mind. He liked it.

His wonderful dreams were halted, however, as new information came to him.

"So," he hissed, "Tamashii has betrayed me, and now the monk and slayer come for my head…"

He walked in a circle, pondering these new developments, before throwing his head back in laughter. "Oh well, it is of no matter. The Hanyou is occupied, and such weak humans cannot harm me. And even if they could, they have not the time! I will be whole soon, and if they can even find me in that time, the surely won't be able to destroy me in such short boundaries."

He still held some doubt in his mind, but he laughed it off. "Yes… it truly is hopeless for them."

"I do hope that they'll be okay…" Sango said as they sped over the water.

"Inuyasha has beaten Sesshomaru multiple times before," answered Miroku from behind, "It's only by Sesshomaru's own pride he fails to realize it. I don't see why Inuyasha should have too much of a problem now…"

"Yes, but… Inuyasha has never come out unscathed before… if one thing had gone wrong… I have to admit, I'm worried about him."

"As am I, but we'd best not put too much thought into it. We have a much more important task in front of us."

At this, Sango seemed to gain a bit of her resolve. "Yes. And if Kagome's there, I doubt he'll lose. As much as I was in objection to her staying, it might be for the best for Inuyasha."

Miroku nodded. "Yes… her presence does seem to have that sort of effect on him."

"Watch out!"

Inuyasha spun just in time to parry Sesshomaru's blow. Sweat was dripping down his face, stinging his eyes. And yet Sesshomaru showed no signs of fatigue, his steely façade as cold as ever. They glared at each other for a moment before one of Sesshomaru's knees happened (quite un-accidentally) to connect with Inuyasha's gut. His legs gave out and he crumbled under the force of his older brother. As he stared up and the dog demon from behind the gigantic mass of Tetsusaiga, he only knew one thing.

This was gonna be one hell of a fight.

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**End Chapter 18**

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Hope you liked it!

Next Chapter: The battle against Sesshomaru rages on, and can Miroku and Sango tackle doom? Read and find out!


	20. Ch 19: The End

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: If you throw a rock into a crowd, and hit the owner of Inuyasha, you did not hit me. I guess when it's put that way, it's not a bad thing not to own Inuyasha, eh?

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All right, I knows what you all are sayin'. Your sayin', "Hey! DT! What the (insert choice word here) took you so long?" Well, this was originally supposed to be two chapters, but then I realized, what would be chapter 19 was WAY too short, so I combined two into one super chapter! Also, that way, I finish with 20 chapters! (not including prologue). There's one chapter after this, so y'alls better hold on, it's gonna be one heeluva bumpy ride!

Reviews:

BlobOfBoredom: Excitement IS exciting... thanks.

Ninalee-chan: Heh... actually I haven't seen the movie yet. Usually for the movies I prefer to wait until the english comes out, cause I can't get the full experience in thejapanese, since I'm watchin' the subtitles more than the movie. Plus the english has both english AND japanese. I'll probably get it though if the english takes to long to come out.

Dark-Shadow-Soul-Stealer: Eh, what can I say? I'm a weird person.

Veglma: Wow! Three identical reviews! Yeah, I'm lazy too...

Mizuumi13: Well you deserved it with all the reviews you gave me!

Miroku's Pet Vixen: I know it's takin' me a while, partly 'cause I'm starting about two other stories also...

Gogglehead Lover?????????? Oh... okay! Thank you!

Chippy: Yesh... Chippy's cool! Technically, it would be "Japanese Toast"... (I can make lame jokes too!)

Crystal Promise: Yes, it is! Thank you!

-L A D Y J E S S-: Sesshomarus IS an ass... why do all the girls like that guy? (I'm ten times nicer than him, and I'm lucky if I can get a cross-eyed girl to look at me with just one o her eyes... )

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**Chapter 19: The End**

The cold sea air of the morning whipped Sango's ponytail around behind her as Kirara bounded across thin air. Her eyes squinted in a vain attempt to see through the darkness, but they also expressed something completely different. Determination covered her features, dead set on the task ahead. A warrior must not allow her thoughts to stray from their mission. She must remain solely focused, or their abilities will waver. Emotion causes weakness, and weakness leads to defeat.

At least… that is what she'd always been taught.

Lately, she'd been finding more and more proof that the exact opposite was true. Inuyasha for example, showed his greatest skill in battle when Kagome was present, and even Sesshomaru, by no admittance of his own, could push his skills even further when his human companion was in danger. She remembered when they had met Shiori, Inuyasha was driven by his sympathy for the girl, and had managed to win in a seemingly hopeless situation. And Houshi-sama…

She was suddenly yanked out of her thoughts by an object landing heavily on her shoulder. A glance told her it was Miroku's head. Her arm twitched as she tensed for a slap, then realized that his eyes were closed, and his breath was coming in long, deep breaths. He was sleeping. A blush crept across her cheeks. He had not slept well since this whole predicament had begun, and the silence of the ocean must of lulled him to sleep. They were all tired, of course, but Miroku had been the one to bear most of the burden.

Sango sighed. She just wanted this whole thing to be over.

* * *

Inuyasha grunted as he stepped backwards, a fresh cut adorning his cheek. Sesshomaru stood, composed as always, despite the burn on his remaining good arm from being struck by the Kaze no Kizu. Regaining his footing, Inuyasha whipped the Tetsusaiga around his head.

"Kongousouha!"

Sesshomaru neatly dodged the crystal daggers before charging forward, Tenseiga pointing forwards. He lunged, but it was deflected by the width of Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha spun on his toes, and connected one of his feet with the side of Sesshomaru's head. The older sibling skidded sideways, pushed off the ground and landed once more on his feet, though not with out scraping the right side of his body. The stump of his arm began to ache again, but he ignored it. Now was not the time to feel pain. He briefly considered using… no, he couldn't use _that_. He would only use it if it were necessary. He preferred to defeat enemies on his own strength.

Tightening his grip on Tenseiga, he charged again, only to be caught in a stalemate with Inuyasha once more.

"Don't you know how to attack with that weapon?" he taunted, "Or is all you can do defend?"

With a grunt, he pushed forward, causing Inuyasha to fall backwards. He the grabbed the neck of Inuyasha's haori, swung him in an arc over his head, and slammed him headfirst into the ground on the other side.

"Inuyasha!" yelled Kagome, hand reaching over her shoulder to retrieve an arrow.

"Dammit, Kagome!" Inuyasha growled, jumping to his feet, then speaking in between swings of his sword. "Don't… you… dare… interfere!"

She consented, dropping her hand to her side once more, eyes nervously watching the battle in front of her play out. Sesshomaru did seem to be tiring somewhat, his movements gradually becoming more sluggish, but Inuyasha was worse off. His relentless attack was constantly pushing him to the brink of exhaustion, and any pause he took to catch his breath, Sesshomaru would use to unleash an endless barrage of attacks, forcing Inuyasha to go on the defensive, furthering his fatigue. Sesshomaru's endless taunts were of no help either.

"What's wrong Inuyasha, tired already?"

"Hell no! I'm just getting started!"

"Well, if this is you in full form, I'd hate to see you when you exhausted!"

Inuyasha growled furiously, his eyes narrowing to a point not unlike that of an enraged wolf. "What is it with you anyway? What did I ever do to you?"

"It's the path of a dog, Inuyasha. Siblings fight to establish dominance. To me, your nothing but a runt who refuses to roll over!"

"But I'm not a dog," Inuyasha shot back, "I'm half-human!"

"Which is exactly why you will loose!"

"Face it Sesshomaru, you're never getting the Tetsusaiga from me!"

"Hmph, I no longer desire the Tetsusaiga."

"What?"

"I couldn't use it anyway. Besides, the Tenseiga is now ten times more powerful then that tiny fang could ever hope to be!"

Inuyasha growled, shoving Sesshomaru back roughly.

"Fine," he spat, "wasn't planning on giving it to you anyway! Now, let's end this!"

"I'd be glad to!" With one swipe of the Tenseiga, he sent barrage of light blades hurtling in Inuyasha's direction.

"I was waiting for that, jackass! BAKURYUUHA!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened in awe as his very own attack was sent barreling back at him, along with the twisting spirals of the Bakuryuuha. His arms instinctively shot up to cover his face in protection as the wave of energy over came him.

Kagome heard a horrible explosion as Sesshomaru was struck. Dirt and dust was sent high in the air, floating mindlessly, not in any hurry to settle back down and reveal the extent of the damage. She saw Inuyasha standing, still in his battle pose, mats of dirt sticking to his sweaty face. He was a complete mess, but the was a slight spark in his eye, showing he felt quite pleased with himself.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?"

"Fine," he grunted, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, which only succeeded in smearing the dirt there. Then he broke into a large grin, "I guess I showed Sesshomaru, eh?"

"Do you think he's really done for?" asked Kagome as the dust settled, revealing that any presence of Sesshomaru had disappeared.

"Dunno," answered Inuyasha, brushing off his pants, "Knowing Sesshomaru, probably not. He'll be back, and in a worse mood than ever."

Kagome nodded. "Yes, we definitely haven't seen the last of him." She sighed. "Well, I guess all we can do now is pray that Miroku and Sango will be okay."

"They'll be fine. They fight well together, and besides… how hard can this thing be?"

Kagome gave him a doubtful glance, before something else caught her attention. "Hey, Inuyasha, where's Tamashii?"

The demon's body was gone.

* * *

"Houshi-sama, Houshi-sama, wake up!"

Miroku slowly opened his eyes to blurred vision, which quickly cleared as he blinked a few times. "What is it?" he moaned.

"We're here."

Sure enough, stretched out before them was an seemingly endless strip of land. Beautiful, lush, green trees graced the shore, though shadowed eerily by the clouds above. Miroku could only stare in awe. This was land virtually untouched by the hand of man. He would be one of only a handful of people to ever step here. It excited him.

Sango, however, seemed far less impressed by such sentimental ideals, and she was completely consumed in studying the land below them.

"Houshi-sama, look at the shore," she said.

Miroku did, and what he saw surprised him. Animals of every species imaginable were lined up a long the southern shore, as if trying to escape. Some of the animals began to swim, a journey impossible by anything other than birds or fish, while others merely paced along the shore, casting nervous glances behind them.

"They're trying to leave," Sango spoke.

"Yes, they know something's wrong," nodded Miroku. "Any sense of predator-prey relationships are gone, all they want is to get out. Sango, I think we may be in for a bit more than we bargained for."

"Yes," she agreed, "but there's no point in giving up now."

"Right. We must risk our lives, or doom the lives of millions."

"And two of those millions are the lives that would be risked anyway."

Miroku chuckled. "So it's really a question if we want to die painfully and save people, or if we want to die easily and kill people."

"Or die painfully and accomplish nothing at all."

"Good point," Miroku said, laughing again. The last thing they needed was to sound pessimistic at this point. "Well we don't have a choice now, let's go!"

Sango nodded, urging Kirara faster as they flew towards the center of the island.

"We need to find the center of all this," she spoke, "so keep your eyes open."

"Ah, come now, my dear Sango, have I ever given you a reason to believe I was unobservant?"

"I have no doubt that you're observant, Houshi-sama," Sango stated, "but it's what you choose to observe that worries me."

Miroku recoiled as if slapped, before letting out a laugh again. His nap had rejuvenated him, and now he felt as energetic as ever. Sango, however, was not so ecstatic, and Miroku returned to silently scanning the horizon.

They had not been flying for a particularly long time when there was a slight rumbling from the ground beneath them. A low belching sound floated to their ears, and in the distance, multiple red sparks shot up in the sky, followed by plumes of smoke. After about half a minute, the rumbling died down and no more sparks came, but darker layer of clouds remained, stretching across the sky.

"What do you think?" asked Miroku.

"I think it's worth checking out," Sango responded. "Kirara!"

The fire cat growled and adjusted it's flight towards the source of the sparks. As they flew, a mountainous figure started to emerge on the horizon, reaching ever higher as more and more of it's wide base was revealed.

"Houshi-sama, does it feel hotter to you?"

Miroku nodded. "I would think so, considering we are flying right towards a volcano…"

"Volcano?" Sango asked. She had heard about them, but she had never actually seen one in action. All she knew was that more than one village had been destroyed by them.

"Yes," nodded Miroku. "We'd best be careful."

"Right."

They approached slowly, eventually coming to a rest on one of the gradually sloping sides.

"What do we do now?" asked Sango.

Miroku shrugged. "Find an entrance, I guess. There doesn't seem to be anything out here." There was a rumble again, shaking the loose ground around their feet, causing them to struggle to stay on their feet. "And I suppose we better watch out for those, too," Miroku added as an afterthought.

They set off across the side of the mountain, eyes scanning for some sort of imperfection that might mark an entrance. Many times a layer of black ash would shift from under one of their feet, sending one of them tumbling downwards, only to be caught at the last second by the other. After many repetitions of this process, they were both covered in a fine layer of the silt.

"Dammit!" growled a frustrated Sango, "this isn't helping us any, and we're running out of time!"

"Patience, Sango," mediated Miroku, "it's a very large volcano, you can't expect to find something after an hour."

"But we don't have the time!" she shot back, "Kirara, you see anything?"

Kirara growled from up in the air. Sango understood this as a "no", and snarled, kicking a plume of ash into the air. There was silence for a second, then suddenly, they were tumbling head over heals down the mountain. Sango had inadvertently kicked loose the ash at there feet, causing them to fall in a cloud of ash. When they finally hit the ground with a dull thud, Miroku thanked Buddha the fine powder covered the mountain, for it covered any rocky outcroppings that could have split there head open without pause. Slowly, he struggled to his feet and coughed up some of the ash, which had mixed with his saliva to form a thick paste. He didn't want to think what happened if that got into his lungs.

Sango also rose to her feet, also hacking. "Dammit…" she growled again.

"Sango…"

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"San-…"

But Sango cut him off again, "Shut up, Houshi-sama! The world is going to end in then next couple of hours, and we're out here, looking for a freaking door!"

"Listen!"

"What do we expect to find, anyway? A big 'WELCOME' sign sticking out from the side of the mountain? Why do we even try? Let's just sit down here, and tell the end to get ON WITH IT!"

"Turn around!"

"TURN AROUND? What's that supposed to help? Am I supposed to just turn around suddenly there will be this nice wooden cottage door, huh? And we'll just waltz on in, sit down and have tea with the end of the world?"

"GOD DAMMIT, SANGO!" Miroku grabbed her shoulders and spun her 180 degrees, "Turn the hell around!"

"Oh," said Sango. Right there, at the foot of the mountain, hidden by trees and brush, was semi-circular entrance, leading into a dark tunnel. A red glow was visible at the very end.

"Do you see it?" demanded Miroku.

Sango's eyes narrowed. "You're a stingy son of a bitch, you know that?"

Miroku sighed, and they headed off.

* * *

Sango's mood did seem to improve as they walked carefully through the dark passageway. The frustration of finding their way had dissipated, and a fiery anticipation of battle had replaced it. She gripped Hiraikotsu with a firm fist, not loose enough to be at complete ease, but not hard enough to be nervous. It was this that completely entranced Miroku. How she could completely transform in battle was a mystery to him. Any pain or happiness she had been feeling seemed to disappear, and it was converted to stoic determination. And yet, when the battle was over, had it ended in victory or defeat, she returned to the exact emotion she had been feeling before, as if it had never occurred.

They continued along, not bothering to break the comfortable silence around them. The red glow at the end of the tunnel grew brighter and brighter as they approached, and once they reached the end, they past through it without hesitation. The room they entered was almost impossibly large. It's was as though the entire mountain had been completely hollowed out. A single, wide beam of red light shone down from the opening in the top, and standing right in the center of the beam was…

"Tamashii!" exclaimed Miroku.

Slowly, the demon raised it's head, causing the light to sparkle off of one of his eyes. But it was different, there was no kindness held in their depths, only a maliciously blank stare.

"I'm afraid," Tamashii spoke slowly, "that I cannot allow you to interfere with my master's plans."

"What happened to you?" Miroku asked, wide-eyed.

"I saw through the bullshit."

A geyser of magma erupted from the floor, then, like a snake, redirected itself to shoot straight towards Miroku. He dodged, but it continued chasing him throughout the cavern. Sango turned her focus on Tamashii, flinging the Hiraikotsu with all her might. Oddly, Tamashii made no attempt to avoid it, and was struck directly on the left side of his face, sending him spiraling backward. The surge of magma chasing Miroku fell to the ground, before hardening into a ridge of rock snaking across the floor.

"I must say, that hurt a bit more than I would have imagined…" Tamashii said in monotone, rising to his feet. "But… you'll need to hit me harder than that."

"What's going on?" Sango asked as Miroku ran up next to her.

"I don't know," Miroku shook his head, "but something's wrong. Nobody changes this dramatically in half a day."

Sango nodded, but then they had to dart out of the way as a hail of rocks came flying at them. "You okay?" she asked Miroku.

"Yeah, but something bothers me," Miroku said, "Tamashii told me that he lost his powers over the elements when his ability to feel souls kicked in," he grunted, slicing a rock that was headed for his face in half, "but now, he has them. I think that however this happened… it wasn't of his own doing."

The hail of rocks stopped. Cautiously, Sango peeked out from behind Hiraikotsu. "Why'd he stop?"

The entire cavern began to rumble, and the ground at their feet started to crack. Entire portions of rock sank downward, revealing that they were floating directly above a large sea of magma. A rift formed between her and Miroku, and their sections of rock floated away from each other.

"It's… very hot," Sango said, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, but now's not the time to focus on that." The magma below them began to make waves, and they struggled to keep their footing on their individual rocks. Miroku grunted, "So, how do you suppose we go about this?"

Sango grinned, setting her legs to keep steady. "Like this." In a flash, she was off, wakazashi drawn as jumped from rock to rock.

Miroku remained frozen, before finally uttering "amazing", and taking off after her. As they ran, every now and then a splash of magma threatened to hit them, but they managed to avoid them, though Miroku did get a nice burn near the hem of his robe. Tamashii himself proved difficult to catch, hopping from stone to stone himself, as if carried by the wind. Not to mention the fact that any islands surrounding him would drift away to un-jumpable distances. Few times they thought that they had him, only for him to push their own rock backward with a strong jerk, nearly knocking them to the ground.

"Tamashii!" yelled Miroku, closing in, "This time I'll get you!"

"Right…" grinned the demon.

Just as Miroku was about to reach him, the two began to drift apart.

"Not this time!" Miroku yelled. With a grunt, he shoved the butt of his staff into his rock as hard as he could, pushing him forward with just enough length to land on Tamashii's own.

The island rocked dangerously, but steadied out as Miroku ran to the center, thrusting his staff forward like a spear. Tamashii step away from the strike before grabbing the shakujou. Miroku quickly rose to his feet, grasping both ends of the staff also held by Tamashii, locking them in a voiceless struggle fro dominance. Miroku pushed forward with all his might, but Tamashii's footing was true, and he did not budge an inch. Slowly, surely, Tamashii started to push back.

Sango watched helplessly over Tamashii's shoulder as Miroku struggled. The islands were to far away for her to cross, and throwing the Hiraikotsu would most likely set hers to rocking violently, and when she caught it the same would happen. She began to panic. Was there really nothing to do? Miroku was quickly losing ground, drawing closer and closer to the burning magma behind him. All she could do was watch.

"This isn't you Tamashii!" Miroku shouted, desperately trying to keep balance.

"Yes it is," growled the demon. "I was foolish before allowing myself to get caught up in emotions. Emotions are useless, they only get in the way. Master showed me this."

"Dammit, Tamashii! What about the unity?"

There was a brief pause, which Miroku took advantage of to regain his footing, but the pushing started again.

"Broken!" he growled.

And with a great shove, Miroku found himself falling backwards, right towards the magma. He seemed to be taking a painfully long time to fall. He felt the burning heat on the back of his neck as he approached, saw the look of horror on Sango's face, the emotionless slate that was Tamashii's. Something in the back of his mind told him that it wasn't happening, that it was all a dream, and the moment he touched the molten rock he would wake up to find himself back at Kaede's village. But a more logical part of his brain told him that this was it, this was the end. Everyone was going to die. Everyone. Kagome, Inuyasha, little Shippo and Kirara, Mushin, and Sango. And there was nothing he could do, so he closed his eyes.

There was a sudden yank at the front of his robes, and the falling stopped. Slowly, his eyelids betrayed him, and he found himself looking into the face of Tamashii, large tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Tamashii?" he asked, "is it you? The real you?"

Tamashii gulped, and nodded. "I… I felt your emotions… your pain… and I came to…"

Slowly, all the islands came together, once more forming a solid ground to stand on. In a flash, Sango was on him, her strong arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"You're okay?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, slowly bringing his arms around her waist, "yes, I'm okay."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Miroku and Sango separated, getting into their battle stances. Tamashii merely looked around in horror.

"We're too late…" he whispered.

A great booming voice answered him. "You didn't truly believe you could beat me, did you?" It rang through the cavern, "My powers are gathered, and now my world is complete!"

The ground around them erupted in magma, and everything went black.

* * *

**End Chapter 19

* * *

**

Well then, one more chapter to go. I bet you're wondering, how can there be another chapter when the world just ended? Well then, you'll find out won't you?


	21. Ch 20: Seperate in Body, United in Heart

**When Night Falls**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Actually, I'm glad I don't. He's loud, mean, rude, ramen-hogging, annoying, and I'm not potty-training another damn dog! (Tamashii's mine though, squee!)

* * *

Goodness gracious! It is as though all forces of nature conspired to prolong this chapter as long as it could! First, my comp when all kooky on me, and I couldn't write forever (sob!). And then, the site would not let me update. But worry not! Through rain, snow, and unexpected computer viruses,DT emerges triumphantly with the (really) final chapter of When Night Falls. (The things I do for you people...)

Erm... Reviews!

Gogglehead Lover: Well, I hope you enjoy how I ended it. Thank you so much!

Kodocha08: Oh, i don't know what Sango would do... (and hopefully we'll never have to find out!)

-L A D Y J E S S-: ... Sango doesn't wear pants. (I don't mind the name change at all!)

ninalee-chan: Yes, I look at the Sesshomaru lovers the same way I look at the Draco Malfoy lovers... they're all crazy. Thank you so much for all the reviews you've given me over the months!

Sashi: DAMMIT! Someone get a medic! (thanks)

Chippy: Yes, and we shall form the Royal Order of the Chipmunks! WOOHOO CHIPPAY!

Mizuumi13: Thank ya so much. Humor DOES belong in literature (takin' a leaf outta Frank Zappa's book).

Miroku's pet vixen: Whoah whoah whoah! (Hands tissue) You're about to find out! (Thanks)

Veglma: (Shifty eyes) Umm... maybe? (Thanks so much for all the reviews... really)

Crystal Promise: Good thing you've been keeping up. Don't want to give away too much, but doesn't it look like it's nearing an end to you?

And now... dunduhduhdunduhduhdundunDAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! The final chapter!

**

* * *

Chapter 20: Separate in Body, United in Heart**

Miroku groaned, concentrating every ounce of his power on just opening his eyelids. Slowly, they complied. He lay there on his back for a good while, gaining his senses. It was then something struck him odd. It took him another good minute to place it, before he finally realized it's source. 

The sky was blue.

And what a blue it was. It was as rich as the most pacific of oceans, unbroken save a small wisp of cotton white cloud floating across it's surface. Unable to move his body, Miroku felt content in lying on his back, staring upward without a care. But all that peacefulness was broken as a voice cut through the silence.

"Are you okay, monk?" In his delirium, Miroku could not place it, and blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Sango?"

"No. The slayer is not here."

Grunting, Miroku pushed his elbows behind him, lifting himself into a sitting position. He could now see that he was seated upon a grassy plateau, high above the world around him. Standing right in front of him was,

"Kikyo," he noted, catching the miko's eyes, "What do you mean she's not here?"

"Have a look for yourself," Kikyo answered in monotone, her arm sweeping the scene below them.

Miroku's body was being much more compliant now, and he quickly pushed himself to his feet, looking out over the edge. He was not sure if he had ever seen anything more beautiful. The forest was thick and green, stretching to where it met the crystal blue ocean, and the landscape was so perfectly sculpted, Miroku praised whatever god had carved it out. This was all contrasted by the perfectly blue sky.

"This is all well and good," Miroku said flatly, "but how's this supposed to help me find Sango?"

"Trust not your eyes, monk," she responded simply, before falling silent once more.

Miroku growled slightly at her lack of directness, but complied. Being a monk, he was well-practiced in the negation of sight, and taking a deep breath, he stepped up to the edge of the cliff and closed his eyes. He allowed his arms to spread slightly, evened his breathing, and cleared his mind of thought.

The first thing he noticed was the cold breeze lightly blowing against his skin and tossing his skin. Next was the sweet smell of the flowers and the trees that adorned the island. The third sense that came to him was the slightly salty taste of the air, causing him to lick his lips slightly in order to moisten them. And then… nothing more. Miroku's brow furrowed at this development. The trees were lush and green, but no birds chattered happily as they hopped from branch to branch. The flowers were heavy with pollen but no bees buzzed as they flew around collecting it. Except for the rustling of trees in the wind… there was no sounds at all.

Miroku couldn't take it. He dropped to his knees, eyes open in disbelief. "It's all gone… everything… everything's gone…"

"You finally see," Kikyo spoke. "Yes, every living thing has been wiped from existence. I was dead in the first place…"

Miroku spun on her, grabbing onto the neck of her shirt, "Well why am I still here then?"

"Don't lose your patience, Monk," Kikyo answered, un-intimidated.

Miroku's hands were trembling as he let go of her. He stumbled over to a rock, which he promptly slid into a sitting position against. He rested his head back and let the cool breeze play across his face. His resolve was failing fast. Very few times could he remember actually losing his temper (a certain catfish demon came to mind…), and he didn't particularly enjoy it. Too many times he had seen men do stupid things when they were angry, and spending so much time with Inuyasha only reinforced that. However, he noticed he had been far more emotional during this journey, and though he now knew that was the effect of Tamashii and the four elemental siblings, he couldn't help but feel weak. And now, when he actually had a reason to cry or yell, he couldn't. All that was there was this numbness, as if none of it had really happened. As if he would wake up just in time to see Inuyasha receive a meal of dirt compliment of Kagome. And he knew it wouldn't happen, but at the same time, it seemed more real than reality.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but finally he spoke. "So, what do I do now?"

"That is something you must decide for yourself," Kikyo answered, not having moved one step from her spot. "However… you can start by removing that necklace."

"But…"

"The demon is no longer drawing power, so the aura it's emitting is no longer unbearable."

Miroku paused for a moment, before slipping the beads over his head. The effect was instantaneous. A power he had not felt in a long time surged through him, making him realize just how much he had been without. The world seemed clearer to him, he could feel the light auras of the trees and grass, and the overwhelming one of the hole in his right palm. He reveled in this feeling for brief moment, before his calmness was broken by a new sensation.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" The voice resounded through his skull, causing him to wince in pain.

"You could be a little quieter…" Miroku retorted.

"Oh, pardon me for causing you discomfort, I've just bee trapped in this head of yours while I watched you get your ass trodden upon by enemy after enemy! Did you even listen to what I told you earlier?"

"Hey, I couldn't take off the necklace, I would have died before you even got a handle on things! I die, you die, end of story."

"Did you think I hadn't prepared for that?"

"Well you could have said something!"

"I couldn't say anything, because you wouldn't take off the fucking necklace!"

Miroku growled and gritted his teeth, but forced himself to be calm again.

"Look," he reasoned, "we still won all those battles, and now we're here, and we need to find a way to make things right again."

Silence, then, "I don't know if we can."

"What to you mean?"

"People just can't be brought back from the dead. Killing him won't necessarily change that. However…"

"What?"

"A spell of this complexity is not something that can be taken care of in a matter of seconds. I'd imagine it isn't complete yet. I'd also believe that the demon is still expending incredible amounts of energy…"

"So now… he'll be at his most vulnerable!"

"Right! Well then, there's no time to waste! Let's go!"

"One more thing," Miroku said, "who are you?"

There was a pause, "Come, I'll explain on the way." Miroku nodded, and they set off for the volcano.

Back on the plateau, Kikyo raised and eyebrow. "That was a little weird," she said, then set off in her own direction.

* * *

Miroku panted as he darted through the underbrush of the island. "So, tell me who you are," he said.

There was the sound of a breath being taken, and then the demon spoke. "My name is Kumo, I… was the Lord of the North the first time the demon showed up."

"You mean…"

"Yes, I did battle with it. But… when it became clear I could not win, I used what was left of my power to seal it, and then fled, knowing the seal would break someday. I went south, and a ran into a man. I explained the situation to him, and he allowed my spirit to enter his mind, for he too had fled south to escape the demon. For many years I slept, transferring to the mind of the oldest child of each man. Eventually, I came to you. It was then that I sensed the aura of the demon I had sealed begin to stir. I awoke from my slumber, but was only able to contact you when your necklace was gone. That's also why you were not killed before, for part of you is already dead. Me."

Miroku nodded, he understood now.

"We will save them, monk, trust me."

"I know," he answered. "We're here." He stood at the deceptively calm entrance of the volcano.

"Compose yourself monk, we're goin' in."

They stepped into the darkness, and soon, Miroku once again stood in the cavern of a room that was the belly of the volcano.

"I… can't see or sense anything," Miroku spoke quietly.

"He's hiding his energy," Kumo answered, "But as for where he is, we need not look any further than what's what below our feet."

"In the magma? How do we get to him?"

"We don't, we bring him to us. Ram the butt of your staff into the ground."

Miroku did as he was told. Instantly, purple flame shot up from the place his staff touched the ground, which began to rumble. On the other side of the cavern a geyser of magma erupted from the ground, and Miroku could just see a black figure shoot out. As the flames died down, the figure stepped forward, lava still dripping slowly from it's frame. It was surprisingly gangly, tall and thin, with lizard-like features.

"What did you do monk?" Came the malicious hiss, "How are you still alive?"

"I doubt that's important right now," Miroku responded. "Right now, I must defeat you."

"I'd like to see you try…"

"You don't look too tough," Miroku responded, leveling his staff.

"Really?" The lizard's eyes glowed dangerously, and it's body began to grow. It's neck lengthened as muscles rippled across it's body. From it's shoulder blades, two wings sprouted. Horns and spines pierced through scales sickeningly as they erupted from flesh. It's body continued to grow until it stood full height, on four legs, breathing heavily.

"Oh," Miroku said, "You're a dragon."

"Surprised?"

"Not really. A bit cliché if anything."

"Why you little…!" A spiked tail instantly whipped through the air, causing Miroku to jump to the side to avoid, A) Impalement, and B) the mass of magma that splashed into the air as the ground beneath the tail cracked.

Miroku plucked two ofuda from his robe, reveling in the feeling of his restored power flowing into his hands. He felt as though no matter how powerful his enemy was, he could take it on and beat it. With a grunt, he sent the ofudas flying. The dragon roared in annoyance as they contacted, and slashed forward with his tail once more.

"Monk, let me take over," Kumo urged.

"You kidding me?" Miroku chided, "I'm doing fine!" A spurt of magma forced him to tumble to the side.

"Just let me do this and get it over with! Need I remind you, we are working on a bit of a time constraint here!"

"Listen, I'll tell you if I need you, no need in wasting energy if this can be taken care of now!"

Kumo growled. "Fine, I guess I'll just make you let me have control then!"

"Hey!" Slowly, Miroku felt himself lose control of the left side of his body. He fought back for control, but it was futile. "Dammit stop it!" He continued to struggle, unaware that a certain enemy might take advantage of this situation…

WHACK!

A blinding pain, and he was flying backward. His body collided hard with the wall. He winced in pain…

And when he opened his eyes, what he expected to see was not there. There was no dragon. There was no dark cavern and fiery pits. Only blackness. Blackness and…

"Tamashii..." he rose to his feet, and caught his eye, "what are you doing here?"

Sighing, he looked away. "The spell has not taken full effect yet. My presence still exists in this room."

"But… if I'm here…"

"Do not worry," Tamashii shook his head, "the northern lord is fighting for you… though how well is another issue…"

"Good… I think…"

Tamashii nodded, "Now, it is imperative that you listen to me. I know it may be a lot to ask, but you need to cooperate with the lord, got that?"

"He's the one that needs to set aside his pride…"

"Yes, I understand that, but just tolerate it. Sharing a body, you'll have to get along if you want to get anywhere."

"I'll try, but…"

"No buts. You'll only create doubts within yourself," Tamashii answered all to quickly. "Now, before I send you back, there's someone who wants to see you," he said, motioning to behind him.

Slowly, a foot appeared out of the black, and, with a step, Sango came into view. She was still dressed in her battle garb, though her hair was taken out of it's ponytail and falling around her shoulders.

"Hey, Houshi-sama," she said tentatively. She seemed nervous about something.

"Hello Sango," he nodded, "are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm good…"

There was a nervous silence that seemed to last a long time. Then, without him exactly knowing how, she was in his arms.

"You can do this Houshi-sama, I believe in you.," she said from against his chest.

"I know I can Sango. Don't worry." She nodded, but didn't let go. "Sango, I have to go now…"

As if snapped out of her thoughts, Sango backed up quickly, blushing furiously. "Sorry…" she stammered, "It's just… weird y'know? Not being there to fight beside you…"

Miroku grinned sadly, "I know it is."

"But… I suppose it's like you said, right?" Sango said, looking back up into his eyes. "We may be separate in body, but in mission and heart we are united, right?"

He nodded.

"Am I in your heart, Houshi-sama?"

He watched her for a long time, trying to pick up what emotion she was conveying, then answered.

"Always."

Sango nodded in understanding, and Miroku closed his eyes. When he opened them he was back in battle. He saw the dragon before him as Kumo fought, as though he was a newcomer in his own body.

"Where were you monk?" Kumo questioned.

"Just taking care of a few things," he answered, "but it looks as though you can get you ass kicked just fine without me."

"Shut up," Kumo growled, spitting out a spurt of blood from Miroku's mouth.

"Sorry," Miroku grinned, "but listen, we need to work together here if we want to win."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"I know you don't want to, but you need to give me control of my body. I know it better than you do. Just lend me your power, and we can win this!"

There was a long pause. "Fine."

Instantly Miroku was able to move himself again. He quickly dodged to his left as a spurt of magma came at him again. "Hey, Kumo, if you see anything I don't, I give you permission to get me out of the way."

"Got it. Okay, I'm going to give you my power now, be careful, you can't attack while it's being transferred."

Miroku nodded in confirmation. Instantly he felt a surge of power course through his veins, and it continued to grow. A non-existent wind seemed to whip his hair and robes around. Before him he saw the dragon draw back in surprise, then let out a roar and charge him.

"Do you think you could do this a little faster?" he yelled to Kumo.

"Don't you think I'm trying!"

All the while the dragon was bearing down on them at breakneck speed. Closer… closer…

"DONE!" A purple barrier instantly shot up pushing forward with incredible speed. It struck the dragon, which was instantly sent flying back into the wall. The wall cracked, sending down a shower of rocks.

"Dammit! That destroys the Kazaana as an option! If I use it the place will collapse!"

"Trust me monk, you won't need it." Kumo responded boredly.

The dragon was on him again, barreling forward through the air. He dodged with ease, and rammed the butt of his staff into the dragons side, making it tumble out of the air. Without missing a beat, he flung three ofudas forward. Where they touched the dragon scales were blown off as the skin underneath them erupted. Miroku moved to attack again, slashing with his shakujou, the head of which now holding a purple flame. The dragon could do nothing but guard as fresh cuts and burns appeared all over his body. Miroku was winning, and he knew it.

"Dammit!" the Dragon growled, "I will not allow for some human to defeat me! Just watch, I'll sink this whole mountain into the pits of hell!"

The rumbling was terrible. Large rocks fell from the sky, breaking through the ground before melting into the magma below. The dragon flew upwards, away from danger, leaving Miroku to dodge to racks and lava.

"Now it the time to use it, monk!"

"Yes," Miroku said, grabbing the beads around his wrist, "I believe it is. KAZAANA!"

The wind howled ferociously as the air rip absorbed any and all rocks falling to the ground. The dragon continued flapping his wings, straining against the invisible force, but slowly and surely, he was being pulled backward. And with a finality that was not worthy of the days of harsh travel, everything simply disappeared. Disappeared into the curse of one doomed monk.

Miroku's legs gave out. He fell to the ground in an exhausted heap. Slowly he closed thee Kazaana, just as he felt it grow slightly larger.

"You did well Monk, now sleep."

Miroku smiled, "Yes, I think I will." And his eyes closed.

* * *

The grass was as green as ever as Miroku stared up into the blue sky from his seat on the hill. A single beetle crawled up a blade of grass and rested at the tip. Miroku held out a finger, and let it crawl onto his hand. He watched it as it scuttled along his knuckles. He was happy it was over. The dragon was dead, the world was saved. Kumo had died, his mission finally complete, though not before giving reign of the northern lands to Tamashii. It was the perfect ending.

And yet, Miroku could not help but feel a bit disappointed. Nothing had been gained by this journey, save perhaps a few new scars. Why had it even happened in the first place? Everything had a reason, yet he could not find one in this.

The beetle reached the end of his ring finger and paused, before spreading it's wings and flying off.

"Houshi-sama?"

He turned slowly to see Sango, before she approached and sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Miroku nodded. "Why would you ever think otherwise?"

"I know you too well to think that you're a perfectly happy person all the time. You've been really quiet the past couple of days. What's bothering you?"

Miroku turned his eyes back to the sky and thought for a while. "Well, it's just… I mean, what was the point in all this?"

"You saved the world, Houshi-sama!"

"I know that. But why did it even happen in the first place? What was gained from this?"

Sango watched him for a second, before responding. "Maybe what you gained was the knowledge that you don't gain something from everything. That some things you just have to do for sake of everyone else."

Miroku chuckled. "You know how cheesy that sounded?"

"The greatest lessons in life often do."

"Now you're the one sounding like a monk here," Miroku grinned. Sango certainly seemed playful today, granted, she usually liked to end conversations quickly, but she was deliberately trying to drag this one on. But, either way, he was just happy with her company.

But alas, when traveling with Inuyasha, all thoughtful moments are quickly ended.

"'Ey! Let's go you two! I think I caught a whiff of Naraku!"

Miroku looked over at Sango. "You ready?"

Sango smiled, before pushing off from the ground. "Let's get him."

* * *

**The (Real) End

* * *

**

Well, that's the end of _When Night Falls_, It's been fun you guy's, thanks for reviewing and putting up with my incredibly long waits between chapters. Be sure to be on the lookout for my next full length fic, _Hair of the Dog_, which should have the first chapter up sometime next month. Since it deals with the whole group, it will not be listed under Miroku/Sango. Probably All/All orInuyasha/Kagome(consideringthey are the main characters of the series.)Thank y'all so much for making my first full length story a great success.

M+S forever.


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